Falling Star
by romanov16
Summary: AU Robin, Kid Flash, Auqalad and Superboy have survived Cadmus but their mentors are still hesitant to assign them missions. So when a young alien girl is seen rampaging in Happy Harbor the boys are determined to bring her down. But is everything as it seems? Is the girl the threat or merely a runaway from a greater evil looming over Earth? The team may have found a 5 member. No OC
1. Chapter 1

FALLING STAR

**Disclaimer: I own zip zero nada nothing, **

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><p><em><strong>Suffering may be universal, but so is hope- tower of babble<strong>_

_Prologue_

_Somewhere just beyond Earth's solar system_

_Gordanian warship _

_Prison block_

Chapter 1

The dull presence of pain was the first thing Koriand'r became conscience of when she finally gained the will power to open her eyes. The young girl blinked a few times, then groaned as the small world of her cell came into focus once more, a foreboding five by four room with no light, save for the times when a small window in the door was open during feeding times. One wouldn't think that it was possible for a _room_ to possess a vibe of evil, but it did. Of course this could merely be due to the fact that the walls were still stained with the dried blood of pervious victims–_her_ kinsmen.

Pushing herself to knees, she bit back a gasp as her battered body wailed in protest, begging her to lie back down and _stay_ there. Swallowing hard, Koriand'r crawled over to the nearest wall and collapsed against it, winking as her sensitive skin made contact with cold metal. Forcing aside the discomfort, the Tamaranean Princess's first act was to run her hands over her anomaly in order to reassure herself that all her limbs were still attached. They were. '_Barely,'_ Kori thought grimly as she prepared to snap her left shoulder back into its socket.

When that pleasant deed was done, Kori then took stock of her other injuries. Numerous bruises, ranging from mild to moderate, had blossomed on her golden skin like poisonous flowers was what a quick peek under her tunic had revived, and the splitting pounding inside her head told her that she could easily have a concussion. This had been the thirteen-year-old's routine for the past month since her capture: endure, survive, heal, monitor the progress, and repeat. _'Well, at least it's not as bad as the first time,' _she thought with weak optimism_. This time they didn't break any bones.'_

Kori shuddering involuntary as the memories of that one particular breaking rose from the dead to haunt her, there was good reason that this one stood out from the others, seeing that it had taken two weeks for her body to pull itself back together-even with her accelerated healing. That had been the one time she was certain she was going to die, that the Gordanians were actually going to finish her. That all their talk about keeping her alive to be delivered as a royal tribute to their war gods had only been a trick to mess with her mind. She should have known better; after all the whole purposes behind the beatings was to break and remake her into a willing slave and sacrifice, it wouldn't have make sense for them to kill her. Not yet at least.

She had defended herself to the best of her ability and training, as she had each time those monsters had come to call. But when one was chained hand and foot while facing three grown men… there was little to be done. And it didn't help that Kori was simply not a violent or aggressive person; despite her people's warrior culture, she was peaceful by nature_-_ weak by Lord Razar's standards. Unbidden, the lizard_-_like face of Warlord -twisted in a hateful sneer- manifested itself in her mind, alone with sadistic glee he would display while he and his personal henchmen beat her and taunted her (all Gordanian nobility, as no one of lower rank was permitted to have contact with her- good or ill) with cruel jeers regarding her race, her chastity, her planet new statues as a conquered world extra extra… but the cruelest taunts of all were the ones about her brother. He had been captured with her; and originally tortured right besides her, back when they were made slaves in their own house on Tamaran-a situation that had shattered her heart more effectively than any battle wound.

How could it not? Rayand'r was only ten -_ten_- and his life rested in the hands of those who would torment and kill for sport. And Kori had no way of protecting him now, for he was still a slave on their homeworld while she, as the older Royal Child, was to be delivered to the Citadel, capital of the Gordanian's Empire, a fate that scared her more than death-the stories she had heard of what befell servants in that place…

Curling her legs to her chest with a dry sob, Kori pressed her jade green eyes to her knees and took several deep breaths, her dark red hair veiling her face. '_Calm yourself Koriand'r, don't given in, that just what they what.' _She shuddered again. How any intelligent being could take joy in causing others pain… she would never understand. And she never wanted to; those beatings might one day break her body beyond repaired, but the only way it could break her spirit was if she let it. That was in her control and her's alone.

"I am a Shieldmaiden of Tamaran, I must stand strong," she whispered out into the void. Her hands, small and feminine despite their trials, clenched into fists. "I _will_ stand strong." With what little strength she had, she set her hands aglow with blazing green energy, a testimony to her royal heritage. Thousands of years ago, a now-extinct race called the Psions had kidnapped and experimented on a male and female Tamaranean. The genetic modifications done had gifted the two Tamaraneans the ability to absorb ultraviolet rays through their skin. The excess energy absorbed could be used to fly, or fired off as starbolts or eyebeams. So when the pair, who were also husband and wife, managed to escape and returned home to the backwater world, their new powers had made them seem like gods to their tribesmen, and the couple was quickly made to be leaders. From those two Tamaraneans, the Tamaranean royal family had been born, planting the seeds of a dynasty that would rule unchallenged for two thousand years. All royals had the abilities their distant ancestors had received. That was why there was no light in the cell, Kori's captures wanted to keep her powers as restrained as possible, for obvious reasons. The cell was designed to reduce the amount of ultraviolet rays she received; so that she wouldn't be able to use her powers for long.

'_I'm the daughter of warriors and kings, Shieldmaidens and heroes; I will not dishonor them by dieing enslaved._ In an act of semi-defiance, Kori then lit up her eyes so that they blazed green as well, blazed with righteous fury.

_I will not surrender hope._

**Y+J**

_Earth_

_Happy Harbor Road Island_

_Mount__ Justice_

Robin couldn't stop himself from grinning when he exited the zeta tube_-_ _Now this is more like it! _

The thirteen year-old found himself standing in a wide cave (_way_ more roomy than the one he and Batman used), that had adjoining tunnels on either side, indicating a facility that was larger than it seemed.

As a matter of fact, it all kind of looked kinda familiar…

The Boy Wonder's eyes widen behind his shades as he put two and two together. _No-Way. No way is this place exactly… _But it was_-_ he recognized it, even though he hadn't set foot in this place since he was ten years old. Now, after four years of fighting crazies in what could legitimately be called the world's most dangerous city, there wasn't much out there that could surprise him anymore.

But this though… with this Robin could safely admit he was rather whelmed.

Crossing thin arms over his favorite red civvies shirt, the young hero turned to his mentor and raised a questioning eyebrow. "This place what I think it is?" he asked quietly.

The Batman moved his head about three degrees to gaze at the boy from the corner of his masked eye.

"Un_-_huh," was the crisp replied. A man of many words… Not.

_Buuuut _on the other hand, had anyone _other_ than Robin asked, there wouldn't have been a reply at all.

"Soo,' Robin said flatly, "…you're telling me that _you_, King of Paranoialand, want _me_ and three other kids to work in a base that's location was compromised by _Joker?_"

"Un_-_huh."

At this Robin's eyebrow was threatening to escape his forehead. "Okaaayyy_-_ did you hit your head on patrol last night or something?" Rather than dignify that with an answer, the Dark Knight stalked over to the center of the room, confident that his protégé would follow. In that case he was right, seeing that Robin trotted faithfully besides him.

"Seriously though," the boy was saying as he stepped onto the center platform. "You don't think this is pushing it just a bit?"

"No."

Robin stared at him; Joker hadn't exactly kept the information to himself, every second rate bad guy and their grandmothers knew about this place now...meaning that they would never think to look here.

Astonished, he spoke his thought out loud. "We're hiding in plain sight."

"Un_-_huh."

His shock having run its course, Robin's lighthearted nature returned in full force in a matter of seconds. "Jeezes Bats thank you _so_ much for reassuring me," he droned out with a smirk, "I really appreciate it."

Anyone else would have missed it _-_heck, _Robin_ nearly missed it_-_ and it was only thanks to the near half decade spent working side by side with the man that allowed the boy to catch the microscope twitch that tugged at the Dark Knight's mouth for a spilt millisecond. But before he could comment on it, a sudden humming sound erupted from the platform beneath their feet as it suddenly came to life after years of inactively, and any thought of teasing his mentor when right out of head. As the holo computer flickered to life, Robin was powerless to stop a grin of wild excitement from spreading over his pixie face.

Oh yeah, this was _defiantly_ more like it.

"We'll have to work fast to get this place up and running, the others will be here anytime now," Batman stated emotionlessly, his shields back in place. But before he left to see to other matters, he paused to squeeze his son's shoulder.

**Y**+**J**

"This cave was the original secret sanctuary of the justice league, were calling it into service again since you four are determined to stay together and fight the good fight." Here Batman paused, and turned to give the four teenagers before him a full on glare.

"You'll do it on League terms," he growled in low warning. His tone left no room for compromise._ Not like it ever does,_ Robin thought as he smothered a grin as his friends twitched nervously besides him- even Superboy. Not that this healthy respect reflected badly on them_- _on the contraire, it only showed their intelligence. Batman didn't have the reputation for being the most terrifying, intimidating person on earth (and possibly the universe) for nothing.

Of the four Wally West had the hardest time hiding his uneasiness, a jester's don't-look-at-me grin plastered plainly on his milk-white face as the fifteen year-old ran a vibrating hand through his shock of red hair. But that was to be expected, seeing that Kid Flash was their resident hyper-active class clown and goof-ball, forever ready to lighten the mood with bad jokes, or equally bad commentary on any situation the Team could find themselves in… Of course his extremely impatient and impulsive nature was often the reason they would find themselves in a situation in the first place (one of the drawbacks to his powers) but you would never find a more big-hearted or loyal person anywhere. That was why he was Robin's best friend.

Kaldur'ahm had more luck at disguising his discomfort, due in no small part to his naturedly cool and unruffled front. Soft-spoken and level headed, the dark-skinned Atlantean was without a doubt the most mature of the boys, despite his sixteen years. As such, he often acted as the team's spokesperson to the League. It was crystal clear to Robin that their mentors had unofficially given Aqualad the duty of being the voice of reason for the team, a job that would no doubt be easier said than done, the raven haired youth had to admit.

Superboy was a whole other matter. The sixteen week-old clone of Superman didn't betray signs of _discomfort _or _nerves _per say; instead he crossed his arms over his chest and scowled, look more hostile and foul-tempered than usual- a feat Robin hadn't thought possible. But he supposed that he couldn't really blame the Kryptonite, not fully at least. The Boy Wonder was pretty sure he'd have authority issues too if _he'd_ spent his first sixteen weeks of existence as a mind-controlled science project. Still, a hot temper mixed with super strength? Not a good combo. And Robin intended to keep a close eye on it.

While these thoughts were running through the youngest sidekicks head, his mentor continued talking, "Red Tornado volunteer to live here and be your supervisor, Black Canary is in charge of training." The two mention Leaguers straighten a little from the sidelines where they stood, feeling their new charges eyes turn to them momentarily.

"I will assign you on missions," Batman finish.

Robin looked the older man dead in the eye. "_Real_ missions?" he asked pointedly, their treatment in the Hall of Justice still fresh in his mind.

"Yes," Was Batman short reply, "But _covert_."

The Flash spoke from behind his nephew a spoke with his trademark grin, "The League will still handle the obvious stuff, there's reason we have these big targets on are chest," he said while taping his own emblem.

"But Cadmus proves the bad guys are getting smarter," Aquaman pitch in. "Batman needs a team that can operate on the slide."

"The four of you will be that team," Batman supplied needless.

At this each of the boys stood a little taller; they had know that this would happen-heck they had all but demanded it-but here the words spoken out loud made them seem more…final. More permanent.

Aqualad put it best, "Then today, is The Day," he observed solemnly.

Yes it was, Robin knew without a doubt. This was the day they finally stepped out of their mentors shadows, and became heroes in their own right. Today was indeed The Day. The first day of the rest of their lives.


	2. Chapter 2

FALLING STAR

**Disclaimer: I own zip zero nada nothing, **

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><p><strong><strong>Ok here a shout out to all who reviewed. Thank you so much! Now here the thing- I didn't like Miss Martian at first (like her more as season one when on) because I grew up watching the Justice League where Manhunter was the last of his kind and I liked that. I also grew up watching Teen Titans, and loved Robin and Starfire relationship. So I started to picture her in Young Justice in Miss Martian place. Off course as Young Justice is far more serious than Teen Titans i had to change her personality a little, so she is more warrior-like, mature, and spirited. But don't worry she will be just as cute and innocent and kind heart as ever! Please review! <strong>**

**Thnderman24: Okay so I did some proof reading, hope you like it, thank you all.**

** sunshine321: thank you I was sure if I like the thought of making Star a shieldmaiden myself, I'm glad you like it.**

**As for my favorites and followers could you please review? by following me or favoriteing this story I can tell you like I, but I want your input and suggestions.**

**happy reading. **

Chapter 2

"So when do we start?" Wally asked eagerly, when the moment had passed. His question immediately brought the other boys down from the clouds, and grounded them firmly to earth. The speedster had brought up a crucial point. Yes they had their own team now, yes they had their own base, yes their mentor had promised to send them on real missions…But the million dollar question was _when_? The somber mood turned serious, and Robin felt his eyes narrow as he observed the scene before him. He did _not_ like what he saw. The adults in the room, excluding Batman, all seem to jump at Wally's question, and a somewhat exasperated glare was exchanged between Flash, Auqaman and Black Canary.

Robin felt his heart sink, '_Ah **crud**.' _In that moment he knew what his teammates did not- they were right back where they started. Hot fury immediately began to boil in his stomach, this wasn't _fair!_ After all they had been through; after all they had proven themselves capable of…and they were still being treated as _kids_. No worse. Like _sidekicks._

_'We're a joke,'_ the boy realized with no small amount of venom. _'That's all this Team is to the League, a joke to keep us in our places- under their thumbs. What were they thinking, that we'd be happy to play superhero house in this Cave while they go out saving the world?' _

Yaaahh… how 'bout **_no way_**.

Obvious to the turmoil brewing inside their youngest, Wally, Aqualad, and Superboy waited for an answer.

Flash swallowed hard. "Weeell," he drawled out carefully, as though he had been tasked with the handling of a particularly unstable bomb. "You _are_ going to go out in to the field, I promise you are… just… not now," he finished lamely.

About three seconds ticked by before that bomb when off.

"_What?!"_ Wally sputtered, looking as though his uncle had just slapped him across the face. Aqualad was no better. Stunned, he turned to his mentor with a bewildered glare of pure disbelief. "My king, surely you do not intend-'' he began desperately. But the underwater Monarch dismissed his charge with a steady look, and for once, Aqualad impeccable calm failed him.

To make matters worse, Superboy had no calm to begin with. So he went full on nuclear.

"What is this?" he growled lowly, his hand clenching into fists. "What are you trying to pull? You told us that we would have a team of our own!" By the end of this short-but-not-at-_all_-sweet speech Robin was counting their blessings that the clone didn't have heat vision, because as ticked off as he was, he didn't want his mentor to be fried to a crisp.

Speaking of the devil...

"And you got a team of your own," Batman replied deadpan, clearly un-intimidated by the young Kryptonite. "But before you begin to go on independent missions you'll need some more advanced training."

At this point Robin was seeing red. "I don't _believe this_," he hissed through his teeth, his temper showing through his every word. To his satisfaction, every head turned his way, with looks of stunned uneasiness on their faces. The people present here had rarely ever seen the boy this way-besides Batman of course. They all knew him to be a lighthearted sarcastic trickster with the slightly maniacal laugh. But before them now stood a very ticked off teenage hellion with a scowl to rival his mentor's. To say it was a little unnerving was an understatement. "You _promised_ us-"

Here Black Canary interrupted him, "This is why you four aren't going into the field," she said sternly. "You may have the power, the strength, the skill…but you lack discipline. You show us that when you disobeyed direct orders by infiltrating Cadmus, and you're showing it now by reacting like children when you face the consequences-"

"We're not children!"

"You can't do this-"

"My King this is most unjust…"

"And with every word you speak," Auqaman told them gravely, "You only underline our point."

"But-" Wally spoke, steeping forward in a last ditched effort, but the boy was quickly cowered when the Dark Knight loomed over him and his friends.

"This conversation," Batman growled. "Is _over_."

And like always, his tone left no room for compromise.

**Y+J**

"Then what exactly are we to do?" Aqualad asked shallowly, as the mentors left visa zeta tube, accepting defeat on behalf of the others. He had to, because hell would freeze over before the trio of headstrong males willingly gave up their dream. They had no choice really, but do as they were told, like the children they were clearly being perceived as. Red Tornado spoke up for the first time. "For the time being, I recommend you enjoy one others company," the robot said in its emotionless tone.

Aqualad's silver eyes flash dangerously, "This team is not a social club," he replied coldly.

"Indeed it is not," the robot parried expertly, "But I am told that social interaction is an important teambuilding exercise. This is crucial as your lives will one day depend upon one another."

"And you still have to familiarize yourself with the Cave," Black Canary added. "You boys should can go and start that now- but be back in an hour for your first training session."

**Y+J**

Five minutes later, the boys found themselves steaming in the Cave's workout room and comforted each other by voicing their shared frustration and outrage. "_Gah!" _Superboy roared as soon as they were out of eyesight of their wardens, (Though Robin was willing to bet that they could hear just fine). "I don't believe this!" the clone snarled, echoing the younger hero's earlier words. But unlike Robin, Superboy had precious little control over his temper, which was shown when he began throwing weights at the wall and watching them shatter on impact. "I can't believe they did this to us- they just, just... threw us aside!" With that a dumbbell was thrown and subsequently destroyed.

"My friend, calm yourself," Aqualad intoned. When the clone turned to glare at him, the Atlantean continued grimly, "We are all upset, but such displays will not help our case, come and sit with us so we may deicide what to do." Superboy scowled bitterly. But it was hard to say no to one as polite as Aqualad. So begrudgely, he when over to where Robin and Wally were lounging on some exercise equipment. Wally had his head in his hands. "Lack discipline," he recited hoarsely. "Do we really? Lack discipline I mean?"

"Much as I hate to say it Kid, that's a whelming _yep_," Robin told his friend drily, "We did disobey direct orders, or don't you remember?"

The speedster threw up his arms. "I know! ButstillImean-"

"Walls, speed talk."

Aqualad took a deep breath, "As much as I hate to say this, I feel as though our mentors have a valid point- we _did_ disobey orders, and we _did_ react like children when confronted over it."

Robin threw him a hard glare. "So your taken their side then?" he asked coldly.

"No, I merely trying to understand theirs, so we may correct the situation," Aqualad responded.

Superboy snorted. "Like that's going to happen. We might as well face it- the only way we get our own missions is if we struck out on our own."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Warning, semi torture in this one, nothing graphic**

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><p>Stunned silence followed Superboy's proclamation, dragging on lethally, and was only broken when Robin let out a noise of straggled disbelief. This had an instant effect on the other boys, and as one their voices rose to state their displeasure.<p>

"You mean like_-_ _run away?_" Wally nearly squawked, "Dude! Are you _crazy?!"_

"Yah that's a great plan right there," Robin bit out sarcastically, "I mean aside from the fact that we're all minors, would have no place to live, no jobs, no funds or base to work with to continue being heroes, and let me think…oh yah, the League would find us before the day was out and have our heads_. _Other than that I'm all for it."

"Superboy, please be realistic," Aqualad said, kindly but firmly, "Running away would only harden the mentors towards us, and solidify their belief that we are indeed children. We have nothing to gain from such action, and everything to lose."

But even as they were shooting down Superboy's admittedly less than reasonably plan a memory rose up in the back of Robin's mind. Back in the Hall of Justice; just after Speedy walked out, due to the unfair treatment they had received. Minuets later, after being shoved aside _again_, and the trio had been furiously denouncing their mentors and Robin had bitterly question why they hadn't left with Speedy. Nether of the other sidekicks had answered, but only because it was unnecessary. They all knew the why they hadn't walked out; it was one thing to walk away from a disappointing career to look for a better one, it was another thing to walk away from your family.

Filial piety was a powerful force, and unlike trust, not easily broken.

It was no secret that out of all the hero-sidekick partnerships, Green Arrow and Seedy had the worst relationship, partly because it had never been a close one in the first place. There had never been a need for it to devolve that way- Speedy had been a older boy when he started crime fighting, so there was not as strong a father-son relation like between Wally and Flash or Batman and Robin. That's why it had been so simply for Speedy to just-walk out.

While these thoughts were flying through The Boy Wonder's head, Superboy had begun to pace back and forth before them like a caged animal.

"But what else can we do?" he spat out vengefully, "It's clear that they'll never let us out on our own, they'll just keep making excuses to keep us under their control!" On the last word the clone's voice cracked audible, and Robin felt a sharp pang of pity for his friend; to Superboy it must have seemed like he had exchanged one set of masters for another. Crossing his legs, the boy leaned forward and softened his voice slightly, "Hey come on dude, and it's not that bad," he said gently, while punching Wally in the leg for him too add own bit into it. Jumping from the blow, the speedster glared, then compiled. "Yah Supy, it's not the end of the world; we just… got to be… patience-" Here Wally trailed of with a gulp, for Superboy expression had become murderous.

"I don't want to be patience," he snarled "I want to go out into the field and do what I was made to do!"

With these passionate, pained-fill words hovering in the air, Superboy stormed from the room, and left the trio of original sidekicks to themselves.

"Well that went well," Robin mutter under his breath.

Aqualad shook his head, sighing deeply, "Superboy needs time, so that is what we will give him. In the meantime, let us not wallow in self-pity, for there are those in this world who suffer from far greater misfortunes."

**Y+J**

_Somewhere just beyond Earth's solar system_

_Gordanian warship _

_Warlord Razaor quarters_

Her dress was too tight.

Kori knew she shouldn't have been thinking about something so foolish at a time like this, with the hallway practically spinning from how dizzy she was, and how bad her arms ached- from both the handcuffs she wore and from the painful way her guards were holding her arms- but the girl couldn't help it. The dress (if one could call this miserable shift a _dress_) she had been forced into was in was just too tight, and too pretty. It was slick and a strange teal color. Kind of like those drinks she had served in the palace to the Gordanians, who would drown it by the gallon after they had returned from razing another village. The top of the dress was somewhat vest-like; sleeveless, with thin straps going over her shoulders, and the slits in the skirt reminded her of flowers petals. She had jewelry too, golden brackets that decorated her limbs, hoop earrings that had been push threw her un-pierced ears (the guards had enjoy doing that- her ears were red and swollen), and a diadem strung with blue Zentari moon diamonds rested on her brow. She looked a far cry from the Royal Shieldmaiden she was-or had been.

She, Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran, was dressed in the garb of a Gordanian noble woman.

And oh, did they have it rough.

The dress was _humiliating._ It wasn't anything like the comfortable,_ combatable_ tunics and robes that Tamaranean women wore, in which they could easily cook a meal or swing a sword. Rather it was a few pieces of shimmer silk that had been thrown together with thin straps so tight around her waist that Kori was certain it was going to suffocate her.

Well, she supposed she shouldn't be surprise, it was a well know fact that while Tamaran was mostly equilateral, Gordanian woman were the literal and legal property of their men, and were denied freedoms that were consider basic among Kori's people.

Freedom. What did that mean, anyway? Kori couldn't remember sometimes.

She had tried to find out today, that was why she was in this dress in the first place, being dragged down the hallway to Lord Razor's living quarters.

She had tried to escape.

It hadn't been a well thought out plan; more of impulse really, helped along by the warrior instincts that were born and breed into her. When her regular feeding time came around, Kori had hear the guards discussing how it wouldn't be long now before they arrived at the Citadel, that they only had one more raiding stop to make on some unfortunate planet called Earth, for fresh slaves. As the word_ Citadel_ translated to _Death_ in Kori's vocabulary, blind panic had over taken her. When the bowl had been push throw the door she had taken it and smashed it into the wall with all her considerable strength and it had shattered. Naturally alarmed the guards had entered the cell to investigate… only to be attack by a wild blazing eyed prisoner, a metal shred in one hand and a weak starbolt in the other. After rendering the dim-witted pair unconscious(it had never crossed her mind to kill them), she had made her way down the prison block, fighting anyone who crossed her path.

She had done well till the stun guns had taken her down.

She had woken up back in her cell; her head pounding, and had remand there till a fellow slave- a dressing girl, had come in with the news that Lord Razor wanted to see her… but first he wanted her prettied up.

Kori took in a quick breath, then another, and another. But no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get enough air. She would have to ignore it. She had to put all her pain aside. The spinning of the room, the aching of her ribs as she drew in each breath, the drops of sweat trickling down the nape of her neck out of cold fear… Razor despised weakness, so Koriand'r couldn't show a single sign of discomfort while in his presence. Especially since this wasn't the first time she had tried to run away...nor it would be the last. She would keep trying untill she died.

Had she been an ordinary slave girl of common blood, her master would have been disposed of her long ago- her royal title was both her salvation and her curse. On one hand it was keeping her alive, on the other it was only a prolonged death sentence…

Kori shook her head. _'Wherever there is life there is hope,'_ she reminded herself sternly, _'I must stand strong.'_

She was jerked from her thoughts when the guards came to a sudden halt and, releasing her arms, shoved her forward. "Good luck little Troq," one sneered at her, smiling as Kori winked from the slur. "You'll need it." With that he motion to the door before them. Kori swallowed hard. She could hear her short breaths quivering in the metal hallway and she immediately hushed.

_'No fear.'_

Without any choice, she used what little bit of courage she had to knock on the hard door in front of her.

Her three solid knocks drew a response all most instantly. The door slide open.

Without any choice she entered, praying that she would leave the room alive.

The door whooshed shut behind her, like the door of a tomb.

**Y+J**

Her heart began pounding so hard, she could hear it drumming in her sore ears and was sure that the organ could be seen beating by how tight this horrible dress was. Moving forward silently, eyes wide and alert, Kori took in the scene before her, the warrior in her taking immediate notice of any objects that could be used as possible weapons. She also looked for any possible escape routes.

There were none.

Cautiously, she took a few small steps into Lord Razor's menacingly dark living quarter, and was greeted with the unpleasing sight of Razor's shinny green face and cold golden eyes as he sat on a maroon colored couch facing her, long fingers pressed together in front of him. With a crackling red fire blazing behind him, the man look positively demonic.

"My lord, are you sure you wish to conduct this raid on the Earth Planet? The species that inhabit that world are known to be a weak lot- they would be poor replaces for the Citadel's slaves, I wouldn't think they'll last a year," spoke a rough voice from the corner.

Razor wasn't alone, Kori thought too herself; seeing three other high ranking Warlords sitting in the armchairs around him, their pitiless conversation floating over to her as she lingered in the back undetected. She didn't take a step inside. Not yet. She needed permission first.

She didn't dare intruded or interrupt. They would rip her to pieces and eat her alive, bit by bloody bit. An angry Gordanian master was not to be messed with.

"I agree with Sorger, Milord," growled the second warlord, who was baulker than the first. "Raiding Earth seem to me to be a waste of time and energy better spent getting home-"

"I care not what it seems to you, General Lorx," Razor rasped lowly, his tone leaving no room for compromise, and his eyes promising death to anyone who challenged his authority. "The fact remains that Earth is the only planet within a thousand light-years that had a sentient species, and that we are now short on our quota due to the little _fest_ your men had the other night in the prison block. Therefore we go to Earth."

"Milord," pleaded Lorx, "You must understand…food stores have been running low; the men were _hungry_, and one of the slaves was _bleeding_…it drove them it to a frenzy, they could not stop themselves from giving into the Hunt."

_'Well, that would explain the ear-__piercing shrieks I heard a sleep cycle ago,' _Kori thought miserably, as she fought the sudden urge to vomit.

Poor devils.

Razor was snarling, "I care not-" when he, to Kori's horror, suddenly saw her out of the corner of his eye and halted his sentence midway. The other Warlords to became aware of her then, and conversation dwindled to a stop. For a moment no one moved.

"Well come in Troq," Razor hissed out, after the moment had passed, and Kori hesitantly move to the center of the room.

She tried not to gasp at the vast wealth that was being displayed on blood colored walls. After spending so long rotting in a cell, the delicate vases and finely woven tapestries were like something out of a dream of her former life. Taking a closer look, Kori's stomach twisted as she recognized a tapestry depicting a famous battle that had hung outside her bedroom on Tamaran. Feeling ill, Kori realized that all the treasures in the room were of Tamaranean design- they had been stolen from their people. Just like her. At the center of this display, hung upon a platform, were sets of armor that had belonged to members the Royal Family, her armor among them, which she never had a change to wear. The others belonged to some cousins of hers, and an uncle, all who were surly dead. Unable to look at it any more, Kori's eyes fell curiously upon the stacks of scrolls that aliened the shelves.

Books.

Books had always been a source of wonderment for her, for she could not read-Tamaran had never devolved a written language (this was one of the reasons other cultures had deemed her people inferior).

They had an oral tradition; lessons being taught through songs and stories. What sort of stories were written in books, anyhow? What kind of tales did people write about? Of long lost loves finding their way back to each other? Ordinary men doing extraordinary things? Tales of good and evil? Of heroes?

Were there any about her predicament? Of slavery? No, probably not. Why would there be? Stories were meant to take you away from your problems, not face them head on. Or that's how she saw it. Then again, stories were supposed to be lessons that taught you to be a better person, so maybe so. But she doubted any such tales were here in this room.

"You're keeping your master waiting, girl."

Kori attention snapped like a whip and sent her tumbling back into harsh reality. Quickly realizing that she had wander off into her own world, she dipped her head to the floor, squeezed her eyes shut, and apologized profusely for her disrespectfulness, the fate of the other slaves fresh in her mind.

"I'm so sorry, Milord. I just got carried away by the books in here."

"Ah," he drew out, "I see my expansive collection of literature has _captivated_ you."

She nodded her head. "Yes, Milord," She spoke quietly.

Looking terribly please, Razor smiled at his fellows, who were watching the drama play out before them with greedy, envious, _admiring_ eyes. Admiring their Lord Razar, and the power he wielded over this previously rebellious little Shieldmaiden. That was what this was about, the girl realized, this meeting, the dress, the jewels, everything- it was a show of power. Gordanians lived by the law of the jungle, with no word meaning _mercy_ in their language. If a high ranking officer was thought to be weak, his enemies would not pause a moment to take him out and usually his children as well; and the man's possessions-including his wife (or wives)- would be taken as spoils of war. Showing Koriand'r off was a way of reinstating his status.

Joy of joys.

_'Don't retaliate Koriand'r, you know Razor will have no issue spilling youthful blood. Humble yourself the way Mother taught you and live to see her again.'_

"Tell me, Princess, can you read?" Razor asked her.

Kori's body stiffened. Why would he ask a question that he knew the answer to?

"No, Milord."

With that answerer Razor's lizard like face twisted in to a mask of pure bloodlust and before Kori could blink he had her by the throat. A humanoid creature, Razor was built like a mountain and stood six foot two-it wasn't good for a four foot two Kori. Her feet dangle in the air.

"And why can't you read?" asked Razor almost softly.

"I'm," she gasped, "a Tamaranean-w-w-we -_ugh!_ –Oral Tradition-" With that Razor released her, and she crashed to the floor. Distantly she could hear the other three hooting with wicked grins on their faces and the girl became confused. She hadn't said anything humorous. At least she didn't think so.

"Well then, Razor hissed, "You find no use in looking at something that you will never have either the intelligent or the privilege to use properly. _Never_ look at my scrolls again, you are beneath them."

"Yes Milord," Kori whimpered, rubbing her throat.

Now tell me little Troq- why are you here?"

Kori blink in non-understanding. "You asked me here," she said slowly, coming up to her keens.

"Wrong!" Razor roared, a thunderous noise resounding as his foot connected with the Tamaranean princess's chin, sending her sailing backwards. To terrify to summon her power of flight, and off balance due to her bound hands, Kori rolled with the blow and lay there quietly, trying to gain her courage. But what little she found was soon gone when Razor grabbed her by the hair and hulled her back to her keens. Yanking her head back, Razor ran a razor talon across Kori's throat, and she was desperately afraid he would silt it.

"You are here for a reason and I am _not _that reason. Now, I want you to think real hard about the answer you give me this time. Why. Are. You. _Here_?"

The grit and unfathomable hate in his voice struck pure fear in Kori. This was Lord Razor. The Gordanian Warmaster, the most brutal of them all. This was the man she was petrified of. Whose sanity could brake at any moment should he go into the Hunt, and she'd have no way of escaping his wrath. But she knew the answer now.

"I ran away," she whispered, pulling her lip between her teeth and ignoring how her hands shook in their restraints.

"And why did you run away?" He spoke each word cold and harshly, his voice just as low and just as raspy as his slave's own.

Kori didn't know how to answer. If she lied, she'd be beaten. If she told the truth, she'd be beaten. She supposed this was a matter of principle; did she wanted to be beaten as a coward or as a truth speaker?

The decision was an easy one.

"I wanted to be free."

Dead silence.

Kori could have swore she felt the hand holding her hair twitch a little, and a small burst of triumphant rippled threw her. She had scored a point at their own game.

"...You want to be _free_?"

"Yes," Kori whisper, '_More than anything else in this world.' _She added in silence. Tears threatening to fall, but she pushed them back.

"Oh you _ungrateful_ _little fool," _Razor snarled, "What makes you think that there is anything left for you in the life out there? do you not realized the honor you have been given in being selected to serve the Citadel? To have your blood spilt in your battle to the death in the arena of the war god?"

_'Oh yes I feel so honored,' _the girl snarked in her head. But she kept that thought to herself, knowing it would be her end if it was spoken out loud-royal blood or not.

But the courage Koriand'r had been searching for was there now and she had to do _something_ with it. So she calmly meet her master's crazed gazed and spoke the honest truth.

"Anything's better than this."

And here was the part where blows rained down on her. She fought back as best she could, while trying to block out the cheers comeing from the henchmen as they screamed for her blood. But once again her arms were restraint, and there was little to be done.

"You will never have freedom little Troq," Her master hiss between his teeth lowly so only she could hear, "You know how I know this? Because you are _weak_- had you kill those gaurds like a true warrior they wouldn't have been able to sound the alarm, not that those fools will be doing it again anytime soon; they will serve as thier comrades next meal so no more of our cargo is lost." At Kori's horrifed gasped, Razor as gazed down at her coldly, "The weak are ment to feed the strong Princess."

_'No,_'Kori thought, _'__The strong are ment to protect the weak.'_ but she hadn't the streagth to say it out loud. There was no way of knowing how long the beating lasted, but it didn't feel too long. At lest not as long as the others. Before she knew it the door was sliding open and she was being picked up off the floor, dazed and bloody. Razor was ordering her guard to take her back to her cell. She was glad to go. There was a maddest to Razor that hadn't been there before, a darkness that threatened to taint anything it touched, anything good. She wanted to be as far away as possible. But before she was taken out, Razor suddenly remember to wish Kori a happy birthday- she was fourteen years old.

It was only when she was safely back in her cell, the door locked, did Koriand'r permit herself to weep.

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><p><strong>Yickes this was darker than I thought this would be; your thoughts on it? <strong>

**Reviews make me happy and if you want more please tell me what you thought,** **I'll update faster. **


	4. Chapter 4

_**Okay this is where the plot starts to get rolling, this is that last of the build up chapters.**_

_**Review and tell me what your thoughts. I would love to here your in-put**_

_**Warning- somewhat dark theme in this one**_

_**Aimei: thank you for reviewing, it was thoughtful and helpful-the best kind! I'm touched that you like my story so much and I hope you like part 1 of Kori's escape!**_

_**Princess Nightstar: Yes I love RobStar to and hate Zantana-she like suposse to be Batman's age!**_

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><p><em>Chapter 4<em>

_Mt Justice _

Black Canary dodged the punch Wally through easily, and used the speedster's momentum to fling the boy across the room into Superboy (much to the clone's rage). She then swung her leg out- knocking Aqualad back, but not to the ground. He was quick to catch himself and come back at her, Robin right beside him. Their hour of brooding had come to an end and, as ordered, the boys were back in the Cave's main room for their first training session. Hand-to-hand combat was what Canary had chosen to focused on, wanting to get basics on how well the Team could work together, especially seeing that in her eyes as well as the other mentors the boys' survival at Cadmus had been pure dumb luck. And so, all the young heroes had been given the go-ahead to come at her with everything they had much to Superboy's _near_ delight. What the older crime fighter discovered surprised her somewhat. Despite only knowing each other for a few days the boys fought together like a machine-not a well oil machine by any means, but still a machine. They anticipated each other movements, played of one another strengths and tried to cove their weakness. Just as they had been taught.

But ironic enough, their training was also what brought them down. Each of the sidekicks had been taught different styles of combat, different ways of fighting. Wally would tumble and tackle, speeding in for a hit before retreating to do it again. Aqualad was strong and smooth, like a tsunami, holding back his full might until he when in for the killing stroke. Robin was a ninja; darting around the room distractingly with his acrobatics. Every soon often, he would move in for a quick blow, only to flip out of arms reach.

And then there was Superboy.

He was an apocalypse waiting to happen, his style unlearned, unhesitant, unrestraint, _out-of-control._ He held nothing back, as forward and aggressive as a rabid tiger that had his tail pulled. And while Black Canary could admit that this would be effective against the common street thug and mediocre villains, it simply wouldn't be enough for any of the major crooks the Team could very possible be facing.

But back to her first thought- while the boys could play off one another, they had yet to figure out how to perfectly blend their contrasting styles together. Untill they did, they kept getting in each others way. With their hit and run tactics, Wally and Robin never seem to think about how the two elder boys kept having to draw up short for fear of tripping over them; Aqualad slick strokes failed to match the quick pace battle…and as for Superboy…well, it was a miracle he didn't run over his teammates like bowling pins.

Letting out a sigh, the women lunged forward and grabbed Aqualad's thrown fist, held it, and placed three hard kicks into his stomach. As the dark skin boy crumpled, she push him into the Boy Wonder, correctly guessing that the Atlantean's weight would be enough to hold the small-for-his-age sidekick down (much to the little bird's embarrassment). With that, the round was done.

"Again," Black Canary's voice rang out as Superboy tossed Kid Flash off of him in disgusted.

"Come on BC can't we have a break? We've been fighting for ages," Wally pleaded; gesturing to the rest of the team, all of them a little worst for wear. Black Canary's eyes narrowed disapprovingly, and Aqualad's head immediately jerked up.

"We have been sparring for under eighteen minutes Kid, it is not that long," Aqualad spoke quickly as he tried to rein in the damage.

"Easy for you to say," Robin grunted from underneath him as the younger boy tried to wiggle his way out.

Canary shocked her head, hands on her hips. "You say you want your own missions, you say you want the independence to fight your own battles, and yet you say you can't last twenty minuets in a training exercise," she said flatly, unimpressed.

"Nice going Kid Mouth!" Superboy snarled.

Meanwhile the speedster's eyes went wide with realization. "Nonono, thatnotwhatImeant," he babbled desperately. But Canary was having none of it. "I know what you meant," she said shortly. "And it's not good enough; combat is about putting the battle on your terms, you need to be _acting,_ never _reacting_. Now all of you -positions- round 2 commences immediately."

With half-hearted grumbling, the boys began to pull themselves up off the floor for another round of ass whooping.

"You will have to wait on that, Black Canary," A robotic voice drone out. All the organic occupants of the room halted were they stood, and turn to watch as Red Tornado enter the room. As the android stepped on to the training platform the holo computer flickered to life.

"Computer, D.C. News," Red Tornado ordered tonelessly.

Immediately, the Capital top news chancel appeared on the screen, and its contents caused all the heroes to tensed involuntary.

"Oh boy," Robin breathed.

Hovering in the atmosphere above of capital of the United States was one _wicked_ looking alien spaceship, about the size of a football stadium. It was dark, jaded craft in the shape of an arrowhead; and seemed to be made completely out of metal spikes- and those spikes were made to resemble _bones_. But more disturbingly was the fact that it wasn't _doing_ anything. It just sat there, looming in the sky in such a way that its shadow fell over the city.

Robin grimace- _intimidation._ Intimidation was a tactic that the boy was all too familiar with, having seen his mentor used it on Gotham's criminals every night. His hopes that the visitors to Earth were friendly (which hadn't been high to start with) dropped to zero.

The screen then minimized itself, and Superman appeared in its place, his face grim. Out of the corner of his eye Robin saw Superboy scowl and turn aside.

"Superman to Justice League," the Man of Steel spoke briskly, his tone calm and serious. "An unidentified spacecraft is hovering over WashingtonD.C.-"

"No dud,'' Wally whispered.

"Quiet!" Black Canary hissed.

"-and has refused to answer all attempts to make contact. Our database has no knowledge of this Alien race but judging from their position, Batman says that this isn't an un-hostile visit-"

Despite the situation, Robin couldn't help but feel a little smug-'_Called it!'_ he crowed inwardly.

"-all Leaguers are to report to the capital to prepare for whatever comes, be it ambassadors or an attack." Here Superman's eyes narrowed and his voice grew harder, "The Team stays in the Cave for this, and transgressions will be consider as possible grounds for the retirement of that hero."

This had the boys taking a step back, their faces paling.

_Whoa… that _they hadn't been expecting.

Robin swallowed hard, '_This_ _is bad,' _he realized, a little shaken. _'This is really bad.'_

And it had to be, if it had made the grown-ups so uneasy that they threaten their protégées with retirement. So it was with uncertain eyes that the boys watched as their teachers march determinedly over to the zeta tubes to be teleported. When they had gone, Robin turn head back to the screen. Superman had gone, and the news was back on, and Robin felt his eyes widen behind his mask. "What the-?!" he gasped. "Guys look at this!"

Immediately, the other three boys whirled around and gave their attention back to the computer. And soon their own eyes were wide as well. Because the spacecraft was no longer menacingly still; now there was a commotion on the top part of the ship-the brigade, Robin would guess. Behind the blackout windows there were brilliant flashes of green light.

**Y+J**

_Somewhere above Earth_

_Gordanian warship _

_Prison Block_

Something had changed, this Koriand'r noticed immediately.

She noticed it the second she open her eyes from her fitful sleep. How could she not? She didn't hurt anymore. Not anywhere. She was healed-fully and one hundred percent healed. All her injuries gained in her last two beatings were gone- from her bruises to her sprained ankle to her concussion head. All gone…all healed.

At first she didn't know what to make of it, how to process it. For so long pain had been the deity that ruled her existence, to suddenly be free from it was indescribable. But free she was. And though she was a member of an unusually strong race; in all her life Koriand'r had never felt even remotely strong as she did now. It was strength unlike any she had ever felt before. It was in her muscles, her blood and her bones. It was in the very cells of her being.

Strength. Unbelievable strength. When she had fallen asleep, Kori had felt as though she were half dead. But now she was sure she could fly across the galaxy and back with breaking a sweat. Oh yes… something had changed.

What exactly, she didn't know, but in all honesty she didn't care. It wasn't her way to question a good thing.

_'And this is undoubtedly a good thing,'_ Kori thought with barely resistant glee as she filled her hands with brilliant green energy, the high power kind that she had been unable to make before. Clenching her hands into fists, she stood took a few practice swings, testing herself.

Unsure, and a little unsteady on her feet, the girl tripped over the flower skirt of the teal dress she still wore, (the guards hadn't given her tunic back) and stumbled forward... her fist flying into the wall. No, not into the wall-her fist had gone through the wall. Clean through the metal, leaving a good size hole in place.

"Xhal's bloodily bones," Kori whispered numbly, as she reach out a trembling hand and prided a sharp shred free from the gape. She turned it over in her fingers. "This shouldn't be _possible_."

And it really shouldn't, for Gordanian metal was supposed to be unbreakable. When Kori had first been captured she had pounded on the cell walls like a desperate animal, but hadn't made so much as a dent.

_'I-I might just be able to do this time,'_ she realized in awe, as her full strength became apparent.

_'If I try to escape again, and play it smart this time, I just might be able to get away…'_

She could be free.

"I could do it…I think I could do it…I hope I could it," Kori breathed miserable to herself. Dear Heavens what was she thinking? She had only attempted to run not forty eight hours ago! If she did so again so soon afterwards and failed…

Kori shook her head fiercely, forcefully banishing any such thoughts, afraid that they would destroy what little courage she had left. And besides, what other choice did she have? If she waited, the ship could very possibly leave this blessed spot, and her new power could be gone. And she'd have missed her best chance for liberation.

The thought was unbearable.

_'Perhaps I will succeed, perhaps I will fail,'_ Koriand'r thought with a strength she hadn't known herself to possess. _'Either way, I will never set foot in the cell again.'_ She would not surrender. Never again. She would sooner die fighting like a Shieldmaiden instead of being lead to slaughter for a barbarian's gods.

This was it then…she was going to escape. She was going to take her freedom.

Kori push her bangs aside and closed her eyes as she furiously tried to form a battle plan.

But just as the bones of one began to form, the cell door hissed open.

**Y+J**

Eyes wide with shock, Koriand'r whirled around to face her intruder-and felt her blood turn to ice in her veins. Lord Razor stood before her, a wickedly amuse look on his face. Swallowing hard, Kori instantly move so that her back was against the wall in an attempt to hide the damage she had done. Something about the act was so utterly juvenile that Koriand'r would have been tempted to laugh if she hadn't been so terrified.

"Did I starlet you little Troq?" The Warmaster rasped. "I should hope I did."

"Y-y-you did Milord," Kori managed to stammer out. She gratefully that she had the metal shred to hide in her hands as it gave her an excused to tuck them behind her back…because they had starting to tremble.

_'Xhal what dose he want with me now?'_ she fretted silently in her head. _'I haven't done anything yet!'_

Did he want to have a go at her? Kori's gut twisted at the thought. She couldn't stand the idea of another beating. She just couldn't stand it. No… she wouldn't stand it. Never again.

She was no morea helpless slave girl; now she would once again be a Tamaranean warrior, with the power to save herself. Pushing back her fear the way she had been trained to do all her life, Kori studied her enemy with new eyes-a warrior's eyes. Razor stood arrogantly before her, dressed sharply in his black and gold military uniform. Fancy, stylish, and completely unsuitable for battle…much likes her own clothes. Joy of joys.

Different fighting stances raced through her brain at lighting speed, and those bones of a plan began to grow flesh when she notice that Razor wore his master key card on his belt. Kori's heart skipped a beat when she saw this. That key could active anything on the ship. If she could get that, then get out of this cell, freedom would be all but assured. But if she was going to swipe that card… she would have to lure him in closer.

Gulping a little, Kori tired to reassure herself that it wouldn't be too hard. Gordanians were drawn to signs of weakness the way predators were drawn to blood. So Koriand'r dropped her head, slumped her shoulders, and allowed her trembling to become more noticeable. Her efforts worked, as a satisfied chuckled came from the lizard-man before her. She heard him come closer, and Kori dared to peer up at him from under her bangs… and immediately wish she hadn't.

Cold eyes were glued to her with an intensity the girl couldn't identify. It reminded her of the bloodlust she had seen before, but now it was somewhat… different. Koricouldn't quite fathom it. She'd never seen a leer like that before. Ever. She didn't like it- it frightened her in a way she didn't understand.

But her fear all but evaporated when Razor reached out a hand, and began to run his talons through her red tresses. And in that moment some primitive survival instinct activated inside Kori's brain, and the girl felt a rage unlike anything she had ever felt before.

'**That's it**!'

Without any word or warning, Koriand'r threw herself forward with a shrieking battle cry and raked the metal shred across the Warmaster face, over his eye (though she hadn't planned that). With an animalistic roar, Razor stumbled away from her, but Kori wasn't done yet. The fight was in her blood now-she couldn't stop until she won or died. Eyes blazing green, the Shieldmaiden filled her hand with a starbolt, sprung into the air and land a solid punch into her master's jaw. The energy powered blow threw the man into the ceiling, and when he came down Kori quickly darted forward and snatched the key card. Leaving Razor sputtering ""What-What?!" on the floor, the girl spun in midair and flew to the door.

Here she encountered a problem. Opening the lock on the inside of the cell wasn't as straight forward as she'd have hoped it'd be.

The card had to slide through a slot, and Kori's hand was trembling so badly with adrenaline that she had trouble putting it in.

_'Xhal have mercy!'_ she screamed in her head. Just when she was sure it couldn't possible get any worse…it did.

An infuriated hiss from behind her told the Princess that Razor was coming to his senses.

_'No-NO-**NO**!'_

Grasping her card holding hand with her other; Kori forced it through the blasted slot, and nearly wept with relief when the door slide open. Bursting out, she turned to closed it, and felt her heart rocketed to her throat when she saw Razor was already on his feet, one hand covering his eye, screaming in rage, "You forsaken little **HARLOT**!"

With that he when in for the kill.

In blind terror, Kori did the first thing that came to mind. She put her fist through the door control, seized a fist full of wires, and yanked them out. Just as Razor reached the entrance the door closed, imprisoning him inside for a change.

_'See how you like it,'_ Kori thought with a numb satisfaction. For a moment she just stood there, contemplating what she had just done.

She was out of her cell; phase one of her escape was complete.

Glaring down at her now ripped dress, Kori knew without a doubt that she couldn't continue on fighting in this garb.

She needed armor…and she knew just where to get it.

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><p><em><strong>Reviews make me happy so if you want more tell me what you thought and I'll update faster! <strong>_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Veritas1995: Yes it is interesting isn't it? How alike Miss M and Starfire are I mean, that's why I wish they had put Star in the show. Oh well that is what fan fiction is for!**_

_**KaliAnn: Yes Kori is a person who will never give up hope, and yes she will indeed kiss Robin to learn English, the poor boy doesn't know what's coming! It will be his first kiss, tehe.**_

_**PrincessNightstar24: I think you'll like this chapter due to the nod I give to a certain human Tamaranen half-breed child.**_

_** I own zip zero nada nothing.**_

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

' Razor's Living Quarters has armor in it.'

As soon as she thought it, the image of the room manifested inside the young warrior girl's mind. Along with the sets of armor that had been put on display as trophies; her very own among them. They were just sitting there, as mere babbles, when they had been forged for war, to fight and defend… It was high time that somebody redeemed them.

Jaw set, and eyes narrowed determinedly, Kori rose into the air and flew down the cell block, to the nearest ventilation shaft, ready to put phase two of her plan into action.

**Y+J**

Back on Tamaran,storytelling was more than a mere pastime. It was an art form; a key cornerstone to their culture, which had never truly gotten a chance to develop due to the fact that the harsh mountainous jungle planet was constantly being invaded and/or merely raided by offworlders eager to plunder the planet's greatest resource-its people. Strong, beautiful, adaptable, quick learners…Since they were first discovered Tamaraneans had been targeted by the intergalactic slave trade. The fact that Tamaran had little to no technology only made them seem a more appealing target. And so the slavers had come, year after year after year.

Every household had at least one family member that had been stolen in a raid- parents, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters… each and every day could be the last you spend as a free man or women with your loved ones, so Tamaraneans cherished them- no matter how much it hurt when you lost them.

But back to the storytelling. While Tamaran may not have been advanced, she was strong. And her people had never submitted to the dishonor of slavery with out a fight. Each and every time the raiders had come to call, an unending wave of warriors and Shieldmaidens would meet them at the gates of their villages- fully prepared to die to preserve their way of life. As a child growing up, Kori had sat with the other royal younglings in the palace's main courtyard; listening to these tales of courage and valor with wide eyes and eager ears, fully taking in the sense of pride and loyalty that was being installed in her with the stories of the heroic deeds of her ancestors.

Of Gorind'r the Fury, a warrior prince who had slain a thousand Gordanians to avenge the abuse his wife and daughter had suffered at their hands. Or of Radtor and Talun'a the Loyal, a brother and sister who had broken into a slaveship to rescue their parents. But Koriand'r's favorite tale growing up was the story of Mar'i the Nightstar.

Mar'i was unique among the other legends, because she was the only hero to be honored by Kori's clan who was not of her clan. She hadn't even been a royal. She had been a newlywed raven haired Shieldmaiden (a rarity among Tamaran's auburn haired population) from the southern lands, who had traveled northward with her husband to fight against the raids that were taking place in the land of Kori's people. This was uncommon, for warriors rarely left their homelands undefended. So the fact that some did during that particular raid only showed how horrid it was_. _

Anyhow, during the fight, Mar'i realized that the attack on the capital city was only a distraction, and that somehow the enemy had found the location of the underground bunkers where the tribe hid their children, and every last child had thus been stolen. Despite the fact that Mar'i was one warrior against a hundred and that she was not of that clan, so therefore had no obligation to free the children she had done so anyways. She had liberated them all, and held off their attackers while they had escaped to get reinforcements. Her gracious deed had resulted in her death… but not before she had breathed her name to the High King of Tamaran, Koriand'r's great grandfather. In honor of this Shieldmaiden, who had saved the clan's young ones, it was unanimously agreed by all the clans that the meaning of Mar'i's name-the eight point Nightstar- would be adopted as Tamaran's official emblem, to inspire future generations.

And inspired it did; Kori had always been touched by the selflessness displayed in the story, and strived to live up to it (if she succeeded in escaping, and lived long enough to bear a daughter, she would undoubtedly name her after her favorite heroine). Those storiesgave hope even in the midst of the darkest raid; and even when Kori and the other children hid in the relocated bunkers, those stories had encouraged them to continue their training- to become the best warriors and Shieldmaidens they could possibly be, so that one day they could take their parents place as the guardians of their people.

They had never imagined that one day Tamaran would actually be conquered.

Letting out an angry sigh, Kori forced such thoughts from her head. Remembering such sorrow would not help her here. It would only distract her, and the princess needed to keep all of her senses sharply alert as she crawled through the air vents.

Yes, Kori was crawling through the air vents.

While it surely wasn't daring, and therefore nothing like the epics, it was practical. The princess had learned the hard way during her last escape that there were security cameras lining each and every hallway, accompanied by stun guns. And however stronger she was now, Koriand'r refuse to gamble her freedom on brute strength alone. She needed to be cunning, if she were going to make it out alive. And that called for staying out of sight, for stealth…which admittedly wasn't a Tamaranean virtue. But pride withered in the face of danger, and Kori was not willing to throw her life away in a foolhardy attempt to preserve it. It was as simple as that.

Kori was grateful to have an acute sense of direction, horned by the long days spent underground in the raid bunkers. Without it she was sure she'd never have found her way back to Razor's quarters, for even with it she still made a few wrong turns and had to backtrack.

But eventually she made it, and crawled up to the vent that looked into the Warmaster's main living room. Without ceremony, the girl kicked the barred metal window in, and carefully dropped herself down from the ceiling.

Not waiting for her feet to touch the ground, Kori hovered in midair and spun around, looking for the armor.

And there it was.

Still hung up ona golden platform, the four sets of electric purple and sliver armor were strung up with thin wires so it looked as though ghosts were wearing it. And in three of the cases ghosts probably were. But in the fourth case, Kori's case, that simply wasn't true. She was still alive, and she was taking back what was rightful hers. And the smallest set of armor was meant to be hers. It had been forged for her, and Kori felt a chill slither down her spin as she realized that even if fate had dealt her a kinder hand, this would still have been the day she would first wear the proper attire of a Tamaranean Shieldmaiden, for it was on a warrior's fourteen birthday that one was expected to take part in the defense of the planet.

And part of the tradition was exchanging one's childhood tunic for the garb of an adult. And while her tunic had already been taken from her, Kori was more than happy to rip off the teal dress. Crawling through the vents had utterly destroyed it; there was barely enough left to cover her.

Flinging the ragged remains-as well as the jewelry-to the side, Kori reach out and snapped the wires that kept the armor suspended, and caught it as it tumbled to the ground. Wasting no time, her nimble fingers quickly separated the pieces that were still tied together and began to slide them onto her slender body, one at a time.

The first thing was the standard Shieldmaiden's chiton; a hybrid garment that was something of a cross between a tunic and a dress which attached at the shoulders, and ended just above her knees. Made out of a Tamaranean fiber, it was as flexible as shimmer silk yet capable of sustaining blaster fire. Tucked in at the waist somewhat by a silvery metallic belt, Tamaran's emblem-the eight point Nightstar- had been devotedly embroider in the center of the garment in a darker shade of purple.

Next were the leggings and boots; made out of the same fiber as the chition, the only difference with the leggings was that they were dyed black to provide some warmth in colder climates-such as outer space. Those covered her down to her knees, and her electric purple army boots covered her the rest of the way with an inch of skin showing between the two articles of clothing. Laced up, they were thick and heavy, the hard metal encrusted into her toes and heels would be more than enough to make anyone she kicked regret coming close to her.

Last of all was the armor itself…

Made from the same metal as the belt, the four separate pieces gleamed in the low light. The first thing Kori put on were the gauntlets, glove like things that went from her wrists to her elbows, but left her hands uncover for her starbolts._ When _those were secure, the girl reached for the neck brace. This piece would serve as armor for her shoulders, neck, collar bone and to some extent her chest, so Kori was careful not to make the brace so tight that she couldn't turn her head. Around her upper right bicep was an arm clasped that was meant to block kicks to that area. But to Kori's lament the matching one for her left bicep wasn't there-it must have been lost.

Save for the clasp, each piece of armor bore a single green jewel. These had been salvaged from the remains of planet Krypton, in memory of a people who had once been Tamaran's ally in her war against the slave trade. It was only in the years that follow Krypton's destruction that Tamaran had truly begun to suffer heavy losses. Part of the gesture of wearing Kryptonite was symbolic, but the other was practical, as wearing them were found to enhance the Royal Family's starbolts. They weren't called Metor ya Charta (jewels of power) for nothing. But those jewels were also high maintenance- while they enhance a Royal's power; they could also make one ill. Kori's family had found this out quickly enough, and solved the problem by covering them with a clear coating of lead glass, reinforced with Tamaranen elements to make it durable in warfare. For some reason this seem to counter the negative side effects of Kryptonite.

Making her way over to a floor length mirror, Kori peered closely at the jewels, looking for any flaw in the lead coating. She prayed to X'hal-the world soul- that she wouldn't find any. If she did, then she would have no choice but to leave the armor behind to avoid getting sick. And without the armor her odds of escaping would drop significantly. After a close inspection, Kori was relieved to find that this wouldn't be the case.

But as she was turning to walk away, her refection cased her pause a moment.

Kori didn't recognize herself. "X'hal bloodily bones," she murmured under her breath, her eyes going wide.

Reflected in the mirror wasn't Kori the Slave Girl-meek but honest- or even Kori the Daydreamer-peace loving and cheerful- who had spent her days running wild with her brother. No… the person in the mirror was a stranger, and yet Kori knew her name.

The Mirror-Girl was Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran, proud and unyielding. She was a Shieldmaiden, a warrior, and a possibly killer.

The last thought turned Kori's stomach, for she had never killed anything in her life. Not even an animal. And if she couldn't do that, how could she be expected to kill a sentient being?

Letting out a chuckle that was more of a sob, Kori could only shake her head._ '__Some Shieldmaiden I am,'_ She thought humorlessly, knowing what her culture and her people would think of her dread of bloodshed. They would think her weak, as Razor did. But was it really weakness to value life in any form? To be willing to take the hard path in order to avoid being tainted with the bloodlust that could turn good warriors into murderers? Kori had seen it happen; she had seen some of her own people become so consumed with war that they became what they fought.

She had seen it happen to her sister Komand'r when… when the older girl had sold her younger siblings to Razor in exchange for information. Grinding her teeth, Kori clenched her hands.

_ '__Don't __think about that Kori…just don't.'_ Furiously blinking away the tears that were gathering in her eyes, Kori forcibly pulled her mind back to the present. No…she wound not kill… not if she didn't have to. Not if she could avoid it. If she did she would be no better than the enemy.

It was good thing she determined this when she did, because the battle for her freedom was about to begin.

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><p><em><strong>Reviews make me happy so if you want more tell me what you thought and I'll update faster! And by the way what do you think of Starfire's new outfit? you see that is one thing I don't like about her character, how they always maker her look so...well you know. As she is only fourteen in this story, I felt like I had to make her look more like a warrior and less like a striper. <strong>_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hey every one, I think this is the last chapter before Starfire meets the Team! **_

**PrincessNightstar: Wow, you really love this story don't you? Thanks, I'm flattered! And I knew you love the nod I gave to Mar'i Grayson. And yes Wally will first flirt when he meets Starfire-it will be hilarious! But to Superboy I think she will be something of a sister. And we all know what she will be to one Boy Wonder!**

**Guest: Thank you for saying my writing is** **unique, that the kindest thing you could have said! **

**DianaLaura&Carf: Thank you for agreeing with me on the outfit, I just couldn't put a teenage girl in the "clothes" they do in the comics. I don't really like comics all that much honestly, I prefer superhero shows and movies. **

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><p><em>Chapter 6<em>

**BANG! BANG! BANG!**

Kori all but jumped out of her skin when the three furious bangs sounded at the door. Whirling away from the mirror, the Princess realized in disgust and horror that she had not sensed the enemy approach, so involved had she been in her little revelation.

_'Some Shieldmaiden indeed,'_ the girl thought bitterly.

But her self loathing was quick to morph into dread, when an all too familiar voice roared out,

_**"LITTLE TROQ!"**_

Razor.

Kori's stomach churned violently; had she eaten any nourishment that morning, it would have been lost in that moment.

Someone must have done a prison sweep early, when Razor failed to return after a time. And that someone could have hardly failed to notice the wires that Kori had just left dangling out for all to see, when she had lost her head and put her fist through the door control rather than merely pressing the close button.

X'hal alive, how could she have been _so stupid_-

_**"TROQ! SHOW YOUR FACE!" **_

Along with her nemesis, Kori's heightened sense of hearing could pick up at least a dozen other growling voices coming from the other side of the door. This surprised her somewhat, for seeing that she was their most important prisoner, you would think that the whole ship would be warring after her head.

_'Razor must be trying to keep this from the majority of the crew, and why wouldn't he? It's a dishonor to him that I escape my cell under his watch.'_

Kori quickly turned from that line of thought, for thinking about her last moments with Razor made her skin crawl. Focusing back on the problem at hand, Kori swallowed hard when she realized that outside that door were a dozen blood hungry Gordanians, ready and willing to render her limb from limb.

It was only when her back touched the wall that Kori became aware of the fact that she was desperately attempting to retreat, to buy herself time.

_'What do I do? What do I do? What do I DO?!"_The girl agonized, as she fought to keep a level head_. _

Multiple battle strategies began running through her head as her eyes darted around the room, trying to form best and worse case scenarios. Her first instinct, her childhood instinct, was to hide herself away and come out when it was safe. This Kori immediately dismissed. In a room this small there wasn't any place to hide, and hiding would only make it worse for her should she be caught. That also meant that running back to the air vent was out of the question. And besides, the vents could easily be made into a death maze, with hundreds of traps to capture runaways, the only reason Kori hadn't run into any before was the fact that none had know she was there. Also the one and only escape pod was on this level (in Gordaninan culture, only the Warmaster was permitted to abandon ship should it be going down, all other persons were left to burn) in the bridge. Going back into the vents, away from her objective, would be counter productive.

If she was going to make it there, her only option was to go straight into battle… and in all honesty, the more she considered it, the more appealing the idea became. While Kori wasn't a wrathful girl by any means, the Shieldmaiden within her was screaming in approval at the thought of avenging herself somewhat upon these barbarians. Of giving them just a taste of what they had given her this past month.

That primitive urge- the one that propelled her to lunge at Razor when he began touching her- was awake and roaring once more. Kori knew what it was- it was the Tamaraean fight response. The need to battle until she won or died. And battle she would. All there was left to decide was whether to instigate the fight, or wait till it came to her in the form of the Gordanians breaking down the door. Kori snort, there was no debate to be had over this choice.

Battle was combat. And combat was about controlling the situations you found yourself in. You needed to be _acting_, never _reacting_.

'So here we go then,' Kori thought grimly as she once more became air born, her eyes blazing over. For a moment the girl simply considered all the wrongs that had been done to her, her family, and people, willing the righteous rage to come. And oh, come it did. Starbolts of the finest power soon filled her hands, and now dressed as a Shieldmaiden should be, Kori made for an impressive picture.

_'X'hal… World's Soul…may my blows be fast and furious.'_

With that ancient prayer on her lips, Koriand'r flew at the door, somersaulting as she did so, so that her steel incrusted boots slammed into the metal, her new strength causing it to go soaring out into the crowd of her opponents- making them hiss and scatter out of its way.

Flying out of the room, Koriand'r landed in the middle of the hallway. The Shieldmaiden then turned to face her slavers, raising her chin to them as well as her glowing fists- every inch proclaiming her as the Royal Warrior she was. She _dared_ them to make their move.

**Y+J**

And did they ever.

While her forward assault with the door had rendered seven of the Gordanians unconscious (and Kori realized with no small amount of relief that Razor was among them) that still left five to be dealt with before she could make a run for the escape pod. She didn't have to wait long for the brutes to gather themselves and launch the counter assault.

The first to come at her was Lord Lorx, one of the three who had been present during that last beating. As vile as ever, the lizard man was all but foaming at the mouth as he slashed at her with his talon clawed hand. Expertly dodging the blow by back flipping into the air, Koriand'r then threw a hard punch to the general's temple. To her delight, the blow sent Lorx straight into dreamland, his eyes rolling back into his head. Sizing his limp form with one hand, the girl hurled it at the next approaching challenger as easily as she would toss a child's ball. Lorx's bulky body more than served its purpose as ammunition, as both he and the other Gordaninan lay in a moaning heap.

But Koriand'r couldn't pause to admire her work, not with Lord Sorger charging at her with a vio-ax that was aimed at her head. Still in midair, the Shieldmaiden raised her arm to block the strike, grinding her teeth as painful vibrations echoed though her bones when the weapon made contact with her gauntlet. With her free hand she sent a volley of starbolts flying into Sorger's chest, ones that were just strong enough to make him stumble away from her. With both her arms now free, Koriand'r now ripped the vio-ax from his grasp and brought the non-lethal handle down hard on his head, putting him to sleep like the others.

Such mercy won her little favor.

" Lord Razor was right about you Troq," one soldier spat as he sunk his fist into Koriand'r gut. "You truly are weak!" As he spoke the other standing soldier grabbed the winded girl by the hair, whipped her overhead, and slammed her to the floor. Her breath knocked clean out of her lungs, Koriand'r kept her wits about her by sheer will-power. And that was a good thing too, because otherwise she wouldn't have been able to roll out of way when the first solider tried to bash her brains out with his armored foot. But when she successfully cleared the blow, Koriand'r showed just how strong she was. Spring forward from her couched position; she repeated the move she had used on the door, only this time her boots landed in the soft flesh of the Gordaninan soldier's belly. The blow was so powerful; it sent the man flying down the hall, braking down the double doors that led to the bridge… and the escape pod.

Kori heart skipped a beat. She was _so close_-

"Back-up Tongin," hissed the first soldier from down the hall, as he struggled to stay awake. "Summon back-up! Don'tlether get away!"

Well that was just too darn bad, because Kori refused to stay on this hell ship one nano-second longer.

As Tongin scampered away to make his call, Kori flew down the hall and entered the bridge, making sure to blast the soldier out cold as she did so.

Now powering down her starbolts, Kori glared about the bridge, it was oval shape and like the rest of the ship, a dull red color. The multiple control booths were empty, and for a moment this baffled her. Where were the operators? As she thought it through, the Shieldmaiden realized that they were out in the hall, unconscious. Razor must have turned to the bridge crew for help after being released from Kori's cell. Well, that was one less job for her to do then.

Her heart pounding, Kori took a deep breath to calm herself. She wouldn't have much time before those reinforcements got here. And when they did, she had to be a long way away.

'_Okay, if I were the control panel where would I be?'_

The answerer was obvious- by Razor's chair.

Flying over to the mention throne, which sat on a dais that over looked the rest of the bridge, Kori ran her finger over the card slot that rested in the arm hold. Letting out a shuttering breath, Kori quickly drew the Master Key from a compartment in her belt, and slide it in. At once, a holo screen appeared before her, showing a menu of actions. Not for the first time Kori cursed her illiteracy, for now she would have to go though every choice to find what she wanted… or maybe not.

For all their talk of being such an advance civilization, the Gordaninan language was nothing more than hieroglyphics, pictures. So surely it couldn't be that hard to read, and what choice had she but to try?

Kori study the menu careful, looking over each and every image as she tried to decipher what they could possibly mean. Some where reasonable easy to figure out- the pictogram of the dripping meat undoubtedly meant food. But others were more… difficult. One image that completely baffled her was of a feminine figure surrounded by masculine figures, who seemed to be doing something to her. Something about that disturbed Kori greatly, so she quickly moved on to the next hieroglyphic.

And there it was.

This hieroglyphic showed a triangle shape flying through a starry sky. If that didn't mean _escape pod_ Kori didn't know what did. She immediately pressed it, praying that she was right.

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><p><em><strong>Reviews make me happy so tell me what you thought and I'll update faster! This was the first time I have ever written a battle scene, was it any good? All so I like to ask a favor of all the<strong>_ _**deviant art people, could draw my Starfire in young justice form? In her new outfit? If you do so and I like it I would make it my new cover for this story! Just remember, anyone who would take up my challenge, that in this story Star is roughly the same size as Robin, so she is little. If you draw something tell me where to find it on _**deviant art so I can look at it. **_ Thank you! **_


	7. Chapter 7

_**amyanime4: Yes Star is seasoned from growing up in a warrior culture, but she is still very innocent because she is still so young. She isn't aware of how evil some people can be, but that innocence is part of her charm and is one of the things that Robin is drawn to.**_

_**PrincessNightstar24: Whoa, down girl! You really love this story don't you? Thanks I'm flatter! Keep writing those great reviews! **_

_**DianaLaura: Thank you for your input on my battle scene! I really appreciate it. **_

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><p><em>Chapter 7 <em>

Why couldn't things ever work out the way they were supposed to?

Kori wasn't asking for a perfect string of luck- but just once in a while, she wished that she could find the answer to a problem without encountering another.

Alas, it was not meant to be in the life of a Shieldmaiden.

The answered problem, finding the button for the escape pod, was complete. Kori had chosen the right hieroglyphic, and the moment she had pressed it, the entire room had parted down the middle- the control booths being pushed to the side as the floor opened up to bring the one person pod to the surface. It was tall, and pyramid shaped, made out of the same black metal as the rest of the ship. And when its side opened up, Kori saw that there was a comfortable red leather chair waiting for an occupant.

But before Kori could board, and finally leave this ship of death, its heralds had barged into the brigade, and turned her joy at her success into pure terror for her young life.

What she faced now was far worst than any Gordanian soldier.

_**Y+J**_

The back-up Tongin had summoned were a trio of Slave Hunters mode 1 androids.

They were feline in form (and giant in size), and based on the Cholganna nexu, a predatory animal made infamous for its bloodthirsty nature in Geonosian executions. The grinning razor mouth of the nexu had been modified into unending rows of needles filled to the brim with drugs that brought both sleep and death, and the same was true for its claws. Its tail was an electric whip; ready to send a thousand volts into its victims. Its eyes were capable of seeing through metal and it nose could track one's scent for years on end.

They were the nightmare of every runaway slave.

And now Koriand'r was facing three.

The killing machines moved seamlessly, the armor plates smoothly sliding over its mechanical form. Voice boxes growling lowly, they began to circle their prey- their computerized brains taking note of the hunted girl's glowing eyes and blazing hands.

_"Stay __**BACK!"**_Koriand'r spat from behind her teeth, her heart pounding in her chest_._

As she turned with her hunters, the Shieldmaiden caught a glimpse of Tongin out in the hall, watching the scene in the brigade while trying to rouse his comrades. He was a little glazed eyed, probably imagining the glory he would receive if he were the one to capture her.

_'...Over my dead body,'_ Koriand'r scowled. Her hands clenched into fists, making her starbolts glow all the brighter. An expert shot to the soldier's head render him asleep like the others.

Seeing this, the Hunters attack mode switched into effect, and as one the three went for her throat.

The room exploded into chaos, starbolts flying every which way in what must have been a dazzling light show to anyone watching from the outside. This time Koriand'r's vow to spare life didn't hold her back as it had with the soldiers, since she was dealing with machines.

Upon unfeeling metal she could unleash her full fury.

When they saw that their first plan of capture was failing, one Hunter had sprung into the air, trying to get the drop on her. But the warrior girl meted it in midair, her fist smashing its jaw. Its head dislocated by the blow, Koriand'r finished it by tearing it off completely. As the beheaded form fell to the ground, the other two Hunters enhanced their assault.

Activating their tails, the androids flicked the crackling whips at the girl's limbs while she twisted, flipped, turned, and droved to avoid them. But one time, she was just a second to late, and a whip wound itself around her ankle.

Shrieking in agony as the volts raced through her, Koriand'r knew without a doubt that had she not been blessed with this new strength of hers, she would have been brought down then and there.

It would have been the end of her escape.

But it was not, and with her new abilities the Princess managed to cling to consciousness. Grinding her teeth, she yanked her leg and thus whipped the Hunter first into the wall and then back to the floor, all while pounding it with starbolts in order to break its hold on her. But when it refused to give, Koriand'r was forced to take drastic measures.

Diving downward, the Shieldmaiden landed in a handstand before the Hunter who had her ensnared. As she predicted, the beast lunged forward, and Kori flipped upwards to dodge it. Now landing on the Hunter's back, Kori turned quickly and grinned when she saw that the whip had been forced into the machine's mouth like a bridle. Seizing the cord around her ankle, Koriand'r endured the pain it caused, and pulled it through the Hunter's head the way wire would be pulled though clay. It sliced the beast in two.

This left one to be dealt with.

Breathing heavy, Koriand'r unwounded her ankle, and stood to face her last opponent. By now she was exhausted in a way she never thought possible. She was weary to her very bones. But she could not give in now- not now. Not when she was _so, so close._

Freedom was all but hers now, she could almost taste it.

The last Hunter could sense the girl's hope, and its computer mind could not compute. Its pack had never been defeated before, it didn't know what to do, how to act. It could not survive another bout with the Troq that was clear, for its circuits had been fried by the girl's starbolts. It could not fight- but failure was not in its programming.

… It could make it easier for its masters to recapture her, if it couldn't do it itself.

That was why the last remaining Hunter dropped its jaw and spat a blaster bolt at Koriand'r's face… Or at least that was what she thought it was.

Eyes going wide, the Princess raised her forearms to shield her head, not realizing what an error that was until the bolt contacted with her gauntlets. The force of it threw her backwards into the leather chair of the escape pod, and to Kori's horror, she felt cold metal enclosing her arms from her finger tips to her elbows. Her starbolts were useless now, that was the bad part…But for once there was also a good part.

The moment she had landed into the chair, the escape pod had roared to life, the door closing up and sealing Kori inside.

_**"NOOO!" **_

Razor.

Kori had to hand it to him, the man didn't give up.

But it was too late now. Just as the Warmaster came stumbling into the brigade, the pod blasted off, smashing straight through the hull of the ship, and was then soaring though a clear blue sky.

Trembling with astonish disbelief, Kori quickly shifted to her keens to gaze out the signal window and watch, utterly numb, as the Gordaninan warship grew smaller by the second.

She had done it, she was out.

She was free.

Then she remembered the handcuffs. Glaring down at them, Kori saw that not only did they restraint her power, but would served as a tracker, leading her hunters to her exact location.

Kori found that she had to fight the childish urge to cry.

If she didn't find a way to break these cuffs off, her escape would be rather short lived.

_**Y+J**_

"Hera, something just ejected from the ship!" Wonder Women called out, her finger pointing said object out as it flew across the sky.

U.S Army General Henry Jackson was instantly on his feet.

"A missile?" he barked- the paleness of his skin taken away any bite to his words.

"Na, it can't be," the Flash tried to calm him; "It's not shaped right for a missile."

"It almost looks like an escape pod," Superman muttered, watching it through narrowed eyes. Having arrived to Earth in an escape pod himself, he would know better than anyone what they looked liked.

The Justice League, along with the U.S army was station beneath the spaceship, waiting for whatever came. Tanks, rocket launchers… the whole nine yards. The city had been evacuated. But if he tried, the Man of Steel could hear the people in the hills surrounding the capital.

They were afraid.

They were desperately afraid.

"How can it be an escape pod?'' Black Canary demand, "Look at it, it's not headed for space! It's not headed out of the atmosphere!"

"It is any escape pod," Batman report stoically as he scanned it with one of his many gadgets. "And it only has one passenger aboard-"

"A girl," Superman said suddenly, his super vision revealing what the others could not see.

"What?"

Without turning to face his long time friend, Superman elaborated.

"There's a young girl inside, about Robin's age. Her hands are bound…and she looks like she's been through the mill."

"An escape prisoner perhaps?" Wonder Women suggested; her eyes wide and softened from the warrior state they had been in to something much more compassionate. The Amazon Princess griped her lasso as the escape pod disappeared over the horizon.

"Should one of us go after it?" she asked in concern, a debate raging behind her eyes.

General Jackson shook his head firmly, "With all due respect Miss, yo're needed here-"

But the General was interruptive when the Batman drew in a sharp breath.

Immediately, all eyes fell to the Dark Knight.

"What is it?" Superman demeaned, dreading what he was about to hear- anything that could get such a reaction from _the Batman_ was enough to make the whole League on edge.

Every muscle in his body tense, Batman turned to face his allies.

"The pod's headed for Happy Harbor."

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><p><em><strong>Reviews make me happy so if you want more tell me what you thought and I'll update sooner!<strong>_

_**Okay so I was one chapter off on when Starfire meets the Team. Next time will be it, I promise. Including that famous kiss! And what did you think of my description of the Justice league, but mostly the trinity, you know Superman, Batman, and Wonder Women? Now I won't lie, I based Wonder Women's personality on what I watched on the Justice League cartoon- compassion, impulsive, fierce, and loving.. After all Wonder Women has been my favorite hero since I was a little girl, because she was both ferocious and very feminine- always willing to take care of others. I like that better than what was show on Young Justice- she was kind of mean. It's important that I get Wonder Women right because I think I'll have her be consider taking Star on as a sidekick- their both warrior princesses ya know? It's important I get Batman right because of the relationship she will be having with his son… Man can you imagine having BATMAN as an in-law?*shudder * And as for Superman… it's important I get him right because Star will become close to Conner -in a sisterly way- and I'm tempted to have Star go Shieldmaiden overprotective crazy on the Man of Steel for how he treats her friend. Heehee, can you imagine? *evil grin* **_


	8. Chapter 8

****PrincessNightstar&**DianaLaura:I am still flatter by your reveiws. I'm so glad that you love this story so much! And yes I do think Star will be a great sidekick for Wonder Women. I came up with that! **

**KailAnn: Yes Star is tough, but she is also sweet, that is why I like her so much. **

**Night Owl's Shadow: I'm sill excited for that picture, let me know when it's ready! And yes Starfire fights head-on like Superboy, but she has training to contol her powers, and she is much more of a by-the-book fighter to. **

**I own zip zero nada nothing**

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><p>Chapter 8<p>

_Happy Harbor, Road Island_

_Mount Justice _

"What the heck was that?" Wally said in an astonish whisper, his eyes bulging as he and the other boys watched the strange object eject from the Mother ship visa the Holo Computer. That was all they had been done since their teachers left them to wait in the Cave like good little sidekicks.

That was all they had been _capable _of doing; each boy keeping a close eye on his mentor whenever shots of the heroes came on to the newscast (Even Superboy was keeping a close vigilance on the Man of Steel).

Aqualad's lips were pressed together so tightly that all the blood had left them.

"A missile?" he asked tensely.

Robin shook his head. "I don't think so," he said lowly as he active his wrist computer to run a quick analysis of the craft. "Its not built right for a missile," the boy added as he scanned his results.

Superboy glared at the craft, then quickly glared away again- the thing was too close in likeness to his pod at Cadmus for his comfort.

"You guys think it had something to do with that freaky green light show that was going on inside?" Kid Flash asked, fidgeting impatiently. "It wouldn't surprised me if it…_WHAT THE_-?!"

The redhead's shrill exclaim made each boy look back up at the screen, their own eyes going wide with horror at the sight that graced the news.

The bottom of the ship had opened up, and hordes of downright nasty looking aliens were dropping down from it like an acid rain. They were big, green, and apparently bloodthirsty, for they were charging through the American ranks the way a lumberjack would go through a forest.

With unabashed delight, they were chopping up everything in their path.

Literally.

Robin felt his stomach churn violently, he had seen some pretty gruesome things in Gotham (and this was with Batman shielding him from the truly awful crimes that pledged the city, such as serial killings and rapes).But even the Boy Wonder found that he had to swallow the bile that rose up in his throat from the bloodbath that was being displayed for the whole world to see.

Wally put it best.

"Oh my God," the speedster breathed out, his face as pale as death.

The other two boys were little better. Aqualad had to swallow hard to maintain his composure, and Superboy angrily balled his fists as more soldiers were thrown into the air as though they were mere toys that the aliens had become bored of playing with.

Every last man and women in the U.S arms forces would have been slaughtered then and there if it hadn't been for the Justice League.

With the Trinity in the lead, Earth's heroes charged into battle, and once again the boys' eyes were instinctually drawn to their mentors.

For Robin there was nothing but Batman as he threw a fist full of smoke bombs into a throng of opponents, in order for him to have some cover while fighting. The thirteen year old had to remind himself to breath; but he couldn't help the cold dread that crawled up his spine. The Dynamic Duo rarely worked in daylight hours (Robin had on multiple occasions jokingly compared them to vampires) which meant the Dark Knight was fighting outside his comfort zone. That wasn't a comforting thought by any means.

With unfaltering devotion Wally's eyes followed the red and yellow blur that was his uncle, as The Flash took out line after line of enemy fighters. He tried not to think of what his Aunt must be feeling right now, with her Husband for all intents and purposes being in the middle of World War III.

Aqualad somberly watched his King as the Auqaman swung his triton in a flawless performance. Though deeply concerned, the dark skin boy did not have to fight the same sort panic as Robin and Kid Flash, for while his relationship to his mentor was close, it was not a parental bond like the one that the other two share.

Superboy was another matter altogether. His eyes sought out Superman, but not with the concern of a son or a student. Unseen by the others, a look of awe was painted on his face at seeing the Man of Steel in action. Almost all of the formal rage on the behalf of the innocent had faded away.

Almost, but not completely.

So distracted was the clone that he found it easy to ignore the strange sound that was ringing in his ears, similar to the hum of an airplane, that was flying overhead, headed for the town…

_**Y+J**_

_Happy Harbor_

_Town Square_

Well, Kori could safety say that she had had softer landings. When the escape pod had struck Earth's surface, it had skidded across the ground the way a stone would a pond, jolting the girl's battered body terrible.

Well she supposed that was what happens when one's hands were bound and you are unable to strap yourself in.

But that hardly mattered at the moment. Giving her fiery head a quick shake to clear it, Kori locked her jaw, _huffed_ her bangs from her face, and once more set her eyes ablaze.

She wanted to make a good first impression- who knew what Earth people were like?

Pulling her legs to her thin chest, Kori threw them out and kicked the pod's door of its hinges.

Springing out into this new world as an infant would her mother, the Shieldmaiden glared about her, eyes wide with child-like wonder.

It seemed that she had landed in a marketplace, judging from the stores and venders booths that lined the square. Desirous smells were coming from somewhere, making the half-starved girl's mouth water and her stomach whine pitifully.

Some of the earthen people were scattered about the area, freezing for a brief moment before gathering their love ones and fleeing to their homes that border both sides of the road (Though not before some young glazed eyed males took her image with some sort of hand-held communicator).

While Kori couldn't denie that it pained her somewhat to see that she was feared, the sensible half of her reminded her that it was best that the area was cleared. That way there was less of a change that someone would get hurt should more Hunters arrived.

Kori knew that she had to immediately get to work breaking her handcuffs, but as she stumbled away from the pod, she couldn't help but compare and contrast the differences between this Earth and her Tamaran.

In some aspects this planet was very much like her own- blue sky, green plants, brown dirt, and white puffy clouds.

However, the yellow sun was a surprise.

Tamaran sun had been red, old and weathered like its people. But this sun was young and hot; it was positively bursting with ultra violet radiation.

Well, that solved the mystery of how she had gained her new strength. The Gordanians must not have known what a power booster Kori would receive if they came to this place.

Intoxicated, the girl leaned her head back, allowing the sunrays to warm her skin. Her eyes drifted shut…

_**HOOOONK! **_

Well that killed the mood.

Eyelids snapping open, the warrior girl whipped around to see that large metal transports were coming at her, ridden by older-and fatter- red eyed males' clutching small brown bottles. These machines were ridden like pack animals, and Kori marveled at how they could stand upright with only two wheels.

_"Get off our planet Alien Bitch!"_ one yelled in slurred voice, causing said alien to jump at the venom in his tone. His friends echo his sentiments, their words even cruder that the first man's. They drove so that their machines circled her the way the Hunters on the slaveship had.

Kori couldn't understand a word the earthen men were saying (which was fortunate for them) but she recognized the threat in their tone and manners. Her eyes narrowing, the girl let out a disbelieving sigh. It seemed that this would be harder than she thought.

**Y+J**

_Happy Harbor, Road Island_

_Mount Justice_

Meanwhile back at the cave, the boys were still watching the carnage that was being displayed on the news (Robin didn't know what a cameraman was paid, but he sure hoped that this poor sucker got a raise when this was over… if he were still alive that is).

"Their…their going to be alright, aren't they Rob?" Wally whispered to him so that only the little bird heard him. On the screen, Wonder Women was currently lassoing a group of aliens that had been attacking Flash.

"Their…their going to be _okay_…_right_?" Wally asked again, a note of desperation coloring his voice as his best pal remained silent.

Robin couldn't bring himself to make any false promises, but he couldn't just leave the speedster hanging either, so he settled with the truth.

Turning to face the older boy, Robin spoke as reassuringly as he could.

"If anybody on earth can beat these guys, the League can."

Before Wally could reply to that, a new sight graced the holo screen, one that made all their jaws drop.

What was now on the news was a fierce looking girl with waist length red hair, and glowing green eyes. If those traits didn't signify her as an alien, then the fact that she was throwing a motorcycle gang around as though they were weightless sure as hell did. And doing it with her hands cuffed no less.

The newswomen began to speak, "This just in, there is another alien attack occurring in the fisherman town of Happy Harbor, by a young red haired female, who thus far seems to be the only perpetrator. We now go live on the scene with Jack Dogson."

The scene switch to a man who seemed to be ducking behind the news van. "Thanks Dawn," he said in a hurried whisper. "I'm here with two eyewitnesses to the Alien Girl's arrival-" here Jack gestured to two young boys who look so much alike that they had to be twins. Neither could be more than fifthteen years old.

"Can you boys tell us what you saw?" the man asked gently.

The boy on the left swallowed hard and manged to stammer out, "Y-y-yeah sir; me and my brother were in the market helping out our old man when this pod thing just drops out of nowhere- it's a miracle it didn't kill nobody- and this girl hops out… and at first I didn't think she was dangerous, because she so small and kinda tired looking and… and well-"

Here the boy flushed a little. "And because she's drop dead _beautiful_, man. I mean it, she looks like an angel…but then I saw her eyes and I knew that she was an Angel of Death, man!"

"She's a freak!" the boy's brother spat out, "Somebody has to shoot her before she kills someone!"

As if to underline this violent point, one of the motorcyclists smashed into the hood of the van, and lay there moaning, and the camera whirled around to get a perfect shot of the alien-angel. Or at least of her screaming in rage as she started to slam her bound arms into the surrounding building and landmarks.

By then, the boys had seen enough.

Robin cocked his head at Aqualad, "Are we going down there?" he asked seriously. He knew that this was-according to the order given to them by _Superman_-putting their careers as heroes on the line by leaving the Cave.

But then again, if they stayed out of this, and somebody got hurt, they wouldn't be worthy to be called heroes anyways.

And the Boy Wonder could tell by the way Aqualad's eyes flashed that he felt the same way.

"Indeed my young friend, as you said, we did not come for a playdate."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Reviews make me happy so if you want more tell me what you thought and I'll update sooner!<strong>_

_**Okay so you're all probably ready to come after me with pitchforks, wanting Star to meet the boys and kiss Robin and all that…hehe. Next chapter I promise! But what did you think? Poor Starfire didn't make a good first impression did she? And how good did I do writing the boys- where they all in character? Also I am thinking of adding Roy Harper-Red Arrow, to the story. You know, wanting to look after his friends/brothers? Also what did you think of how i said Batman shields Robin from the very worst of Gotham's crimes... do you think that is realistic? I do, because the boy is only thirteen... and that could make him vulnerable to some crimes. **_


	9. Chapter 9

_**PrincessNightstar&**_**DianaLaura: Thank you both for saying that the way I wrote the boys matches their personality! And for not comeing after me with pitchforks he he! **

**12tailedninja-demon: I'm so sorry I could update on your birthday! Consider this a late gift!**

**Carf: thank you for being polite, and I do have a beta but she was on vacation. She is back now. **

**Amyanime4: Hey, you got my Starfire's character down to pat! Tough yet sensible and modest is how I want to portray her, with a side dose of sweetness.**

**KaliAnn: well no, when Star kisses Robin she will only learn English because of two reasons 1. That is the langue he is thinking in, and 2. I plan on writing sequels to this story and I want Star to have to kiss Robin to learn a langue on a mission (and I don't think either of them will mind*Wink*) **

**This is the chapter with the first meeting so hold on to your hats!**

**I own zip zero nada nothing**

_Chapter 9_

_Happy Harbor, Road Island_

_The Town _

_'WHY- WON'T- THEY- BREAK!?' _

This was the sole thought that ran through Koriand'r's head as she smashed her bound hands into every imaginable earthen surface she could find- with growing desperation.

By now, the alien girl had left the market square, and found that the streets had been all but evacuated, something Koriand'r was relieved to see.

It was all so _fragile_- this earth and its people. The Shieldmaiden had seen this at once when she had dealt with that pack of foul males. If she hadn't realized that when she had, she could have easily killed them… and the thought made her want to vomit.

But back to her handcuffs… nothing she did, no matter how hard she tried, made so much as a single dent on the cold, unfeeling metal. Everything she brought them down upon shattered on impact- into a million tiny pieces- whether it be one of those four wheeled vehicles, a tree, or one of the cylinder pillars that lined the streets.

Nothing could withstand the Gordaninan metalwork.

And that terrified her. If she couldn't get these cuffs off before the Gordanians got their act together enough to come after her… in her mind's eye she could picture her recapture. With her cuffs on it would be all too easy for a Hunting Party to track her down, and then bring her down (Kori would be _astonished_ if these things didn't have an_ electric_ feature to them).

And if she was brought back to the ship-back to Razor- there would be no mercy. The very demons of the Netherworld would tremble at her fate.

If that happened, her life wouldn't be worth living. She might as well end it by her own hand if that came to pass…

Koriand'r stopped dead, stunned at the treacherous nature of her own thoughts_. _

How…how _could_ she?

_She- _a Royal Shieldmaiden?

How could she even permit herself to consider that- to prefer death to life?!

Among her people, suicide was not an honorable option- not under any circumstances. Not in anyway, shape or form. To Tamaraneans it represented the ultimate act of cowardice- an unwillingness to face your destiny with pride and courage.

And Princess Koriand'r, Daughter of the High King, was no way, shape or form, a coward.

Kori agreed whole heartedly with her people's wisdom, though admittedly her own personal beliefs took a more sensible approach. Misery, enslavement, mistreatment… all these things could be temperary.

Death was all too absolute, all too permanent, no going back; Kori knew this better than most, for her childhood had revolved around it, witnessing death's unquenchable greed for life and joy. She had seen it, seen the suffering it caused, and Kori refused to have anything more to do with it.

Life was the universe's greatest gift; its highest truth, and her vow to spare it would have to include her own if it were to mean anything-come what may.

And besides… she had not made it this far to give in so easily. She had not battled her way out of hell to simple break from fear now, not now!

Not when she was so, so close.

With renewed determination, Kori glared around her for some new object to target…and her still glowing eyes found themselves resting on what appeared to be a lone set of statues that stood in the middle of the plaza. It was a large thing, made of shinny black metal, and strong looking.

_ '__As it should be'__, _the warrior girl thought with approval, noting how it seemed to be a soldier's memorial, commemorating some long ago victory… though sadly not for much longer. Feeling a sharp pang of guilt, Kori casted a pained glare about her, eyeing the destruction she had caused.

She knew she was making a mess.

Taking a deep breath, Kori forced herself to push that unpleasant reality aside_._

_ '__Monuments and buildings can be repaired or replaced, people can't,' _Kori reminded herself sternly_, '__… what really matters is that I take care not to hurt any of the residents.' _

With this thought, the runaway flung herself high into the air, preparing to bring her bound arms down on the memorial.

But she never got a chance to.

Seconds before she was in range to make contact; something struck her on the side of the head…something hard, sharp, black and quick… and surprisingly painful.

Thrown off balance, the Shieldmaiden landed unsteadily besides the untouched memorial, her arms coming up to be pressed against her now stinging face. The thing that had struck her hit the ground next to her with a resounding clang! Turning to glare at it, Koriand'r brows drew together in disbelief.

"What in the world?" she muttered under her breath, staring at the little weapon that had interrupted her. Now more than ever she wished her hands were not cuffed, because she desperately wanted to pick the thing up and turn it over in her hands.

It was one of the most peculiar things she had ever seen, for it hardly looked like a weapon at all. Kori could tell right away that it would be of little use as a dagger or an arrow head-it wasn't sharp enough. All it would be good for would be disarming an opponent…or as a distraction.

With that thought, her instincts came alive and were roaring.

_Ambush._

Her nerves already on edge from all she had been through, they were scraped raw when a slightly maniacal cackle rang out around the area.

Her heart pounding in her ears, Koriand'r whirled around and dropped into a classical power stance, glaring sharply left to right, trying to decipher the source of the laughter… pity she didn't think to look up.

Suddenly the sun was blocked out behind her; and eyes going wide Kori didn't think- she just moved. Diving forward into a summersault, Kori was in mid-roll when she heard the unmistakable sound of a nimble body hitting the ground. Springing to her feet, the girl spun on her heel to face her new adversary.

And promptly felt her jaw drop.

_'X'hal's bones,'_ was the only somewhat intelligent thought she could form.

Before her stood a skinny earthen boy, about her height and roughly her age, though it was somewhat hard to tell. The fact that the lingering remains of infant fat still clung to his cheeks didn't help matters. His hair was jet black, like Mar'i the Nightstar's, his skin somewhat dusky. He was handsome, she supposed, but Kori was disturbed by the fact that she couldn't tell what color his eyes were- they were covered by a mask, which made her uneasy, as that made it harder to tell his intentions.

Stepping back to get a better look at him, Kori took in the rest of his uniform.

The boy was clad in a red-black tunic with matching leggings, a dark cape with sunny in-lining, his black gloved hand lingering sneakily near his equally yellow belt. Combine all that with his triangular face, upturn nose, and mischievous smile…

If Kori hadn't known better, she would have thought she was looking at an imp straight out of Tamaranen folklore…straight out of her past…

Something about this boy remind her of another little imp she once knew.

_**Y+J**_

_Tamaran_

_Royal__ Palace_

_One Month Ago… _

_Thirteen year old Kori took the palace steps to the garden two at a time, flying being forbidden on the Royal Grounds. A stupid rule to be sure, but one that Koriand'r never the less obeyed, as such was her nature._ _Quickening her pace, she hurried to the orchards- where she was most likely to find her imp of a brother. _

_Her diaphanous blue gala robes trailing dutifully behind her, she stopped at her brother's favorite climbing tree. "Ryand'r?" She called out sternly, her hands on her hips, every inch of her the big sister she was. "It's your turn to take a bath Little Imp." _

_No reply._

_Big surprise._

_"Rya, you know you have to wash for galas and other important events, this is nonnegotiable. Frankly I still don't know why Mother and Father and Galfore let you get away with smelling like a latrine the rest of the time!" _

_Well that was somewhat untrue, for Kori thought she knew why. Being the only boy in the family-and therefore the Heir to the Throne- in addition to being the youngest had led them all to dote on the young prince, more so than would usually be allowed in a Tamaranen child._

_ And admittedly this had gone straight to her brother's already large head, prompting him to perform unending feats of mischief- such as putting a sleeping potion in some visiting cousin's soup, or filling their sister Koma's bed with fire bugs… or disappearing at bath time. _

_Well Kori supposed that she had no right to disapprove of the antics of her Little Imp, seeing that more often than not she would be his partner in crime for one harmless prank or another, her playful love of fun and excitement rivaling his own- a trait inherited from their father._

_However Koriand'r also possessed her mother's early maturity, as well as her sensibility. She knew that there was a time to play and a time for seriousness. This was one of them._

_"Ryand'r of Tamaran I'm going to give you to the count of three to get down! One…TWO…Rya… don't make me say…EEEP!" _

_Kori's threat ended then and there as her long hair was all at once pulled to the side and the unmistakable softness of a rotted fruit was mashed against her back._

_"RYAND'R!" Kori shrieked, as she twirled around to face the laughing culprit. The ten year old boy was doubled over, his wide green eyes-identical to her own- dripping with mirth. _

_"I'm s-s-sorry sister," Rya managed to force out, "But I couldn't resist… it was just so easy-" _

_"And now I'll have to wash again too, and change as well you Little Imp!" Kori exclaimed, as she wiped the fruit off her back in disgust. But despite that, the Princess was hard pressed to hide the good humored smile that was making its way on to her face. _

_Try as she might, it just wasn't her nature to stay angry, not at anyone but certainly not her brother- he was only three years younger than her, and was her dearest friend. _

_Rolling his eyes, Rya flashed a cheeky grin, "Ah, come off it Kori- you're secretly happy because for some weird reason you like to get clean. You'd probable stay in the bathhouse all day if the grown ups would let you."_

_Kori couldn't help but laugh now-because that was the truth; there was no denying it. "Well some of us like to be hygienic little brother. You should follow my example."_

_Rya recoiled. "No thank you. I like my healthy coating of dirt. Besides who's the Heir here? You should be following my example."_

_Kori snorted, "Only when you're King, Little Imp, and maybe not even then." _

_With that Kori pounced on her brother, and pinned the small-for-his-age boy to the ground._

_"I got him Galfore, I got him!" She called out to their father's mentor and oldest friend._

_Rya's eyes had gone wide as he realized that he had walked right into a trap. _

_"You Traitor!" the boy cried out. Then switching tactics, he pouted. "Kori how could you?"_

_Kori rolled her eyes, "Oh don't be melodramatic brother; a little water never killed anyone." _

_"You don't know that!" The boy began to struggle furiously._

_Coming up behind the Royal Children, Galfore, Warmaster of Tamaran, huffed at the scene. A mountain of a man, with more battle scars than could be counted, his large hand was amazingly gentle as he grasped his Prince by the scuff of the neck and lofted him high into the air. _

_"Boy, if you put as much effort into your training as you do into your mischief, you'll be the top of your class the way your sister is," The old warrior said dryly as he glanced at his hellion of an honorary nephew. Inside though Kori knew the man was laughing as well. _

_Galfore had been with their family since before any of the Royal Children had been born. He had grown up besides their father Myand'r_ _in the role of the older brother, while their fathers were the current King and Warmaster. Later, when both were killed in a raid, along with the Queen, Galfore had chosen to remain with his claimed brother, and all but raised the boy into manhood, seeing the Prince through every stage and trial of his life. His loyalty was unquestionable._

_Now turning to his honorary niece, Galfore fondly patted her on the head. _

_"Excellent work, you clever little Shieldmaiden. I was beginning to think that we would never corner this rascal- well it's off to the bathhouse. You best change before the Queen sees the stains on the back of your dress, child. " _

_Now wide eyed herself, Kori nodded eagerly, for it was universally agreed that the wrath of the Queen Luand'r_ _was worse than a thousand raids put together._

_By now Galfore was walking away, her brother still in hand. The boy threw her a dirty look. "I'll get you for this Kori!" _

_"You can try Little Imp!" Kori shot back, though she knew she would have to be wary…_

_**Y+J**_

_…_And Kori was wary now; forcibly jerking herself away from the memories of her brother (thinking about him, and not knowing his fate was too painful) and back to the raven haired imp in front of her. She didn't know what to think or do, because in folklore imps could bring you good fortune if you befriended it… but they could also wreak havoc if you angered it.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Reviews make me happy so if you want more tell me what you thought and I'll update sooner!<strong>_

_**Well…weeeellll? HA! I think this was my best chapter yet! What do you think of Star personality because this states it openly for the first time- her sweetness, wisdom, maturity and spirit. And I know that so far she only sort of met Robin- the other boys will come in next chapter- but I thought that was the best way to start of their relationship-one on one. (Because nothing says I love you like hitting a girl with a batarang… and did you see that I put in a mention to Mar'i Grayson in again because that was on purpose) And I have to say I couldn't stop giggling when Star mistakes Robin for an Imp (because that what he always reminds me of, look it up and you'll see what l mean.. its like a cross between a fairy and a goblin-bringing good and bad luck) and I'm writing it! And the whole idea of Star tricking her brother into a trap is base of a real life story because when my cousin was little he hated bath time and would run off and hid (bare naked I might add) and the rest of the kids –me, my brother, and the rest of the cousins would try to corner him or trick him into coming out. And we would get dirty in the process and have to take bath again ourselves! Ah the joys of being alive! (And our parents would just sit back and watch the show:) **_


	10. Chapter 10

**PrincessNightstar& Night owl's Shadow: How are those pictures coming along? I can't wait to see them!**

**DianaLaura: Thank you for saying you like Star's personality, that means the world! **

**Noface: Here the Robin interaction you wanted!**

** KaliAnn: Thanks for saying you like the flash back, I thinking of doing more!**

**I own zip zero nada nothing**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 9<em>

_Happy Harbor, Road Island_

_The Town_

_'Whoa.' _

That was the first thought that passed through Robin's mind as the alien whirled around to face him, and he got a good look at her face. The boy on the newscast hadn't exaggerated the Alien-Girl's beauty. She really did have the looks of an Angel- innocence yet powerful.

She had a heart-shaped face and delicate features; including -but not limited too- a very fine nose, arched eyebrows, and a mouth with pink lips not too full but were all but begging to be kissed…

She was a tiny, petite little thing (she was about an inch shorter than him and that was saying something); slender and graceful- like a ballet dancer. She had the lithe built and tiny feet to match… but her costume didn't go with the peaceful image.

It was purple tunic-like thing that ended a few inches above her knees, and the design of it made the Boy Wonder think of the tennis dresses that athletes wore (much like how his own uniform was based off of athletics' suit), only this dress was clearly made for combat- along with the pieces of armor she wore. And if that didn't prove that this girl was a warrior, then the way she had sensed his approach sure as heck did.

…But at the moment she wasn't behaving like a warrior, or like an alien on a rampage, because either of those things would have lunged forward by now in a full on attack. Instead the girl took a step back, not out of fear, but to better analyze him, a look of open unadulterated shock on her face- one that turned into a small smile.

Clearly he wasn't what she had been expecting.

Robin scoffed at that.

_'There a surprise,' _He thought dryly. Bad guys- or this case girl – tended to underestimate the Bat's Brat. This, while aggravating as hell, did give him the advantage. Smirking slightly, he crouched a little lower, his legs tense and ready to spring out of the way if need be.

"You know," the boy chilled teasingly in the tone that grown-ups used on small children, "The locals don't appreciate it when someone destroys their town- and nether do we."

Without any further attempt at small talk, Robin drew a handful of exploding disks (a gift from Bruce on his thirteen's birthday) and flung them forward to initiate the fight, in order for his teammate to do the same.

_**Y+J**_

The moment the boy dropped into a ready position, Koriand'r had stiffened, her eyes narrowing.

Clearly this little imp was the sort to bring chaos rather than fortunate… and she was surprised at how disappointing she found that to be, for X'hal knew she needed some luck.

Still she was reluctant to take the preemptive strike against this earthen boy. He was little…tiny would be the better word for it, seeing that he was barely taller than her. His arms alone were nearly as thin as her own, and when one took into consideration that she was about a half of her regular weight due to how her captors had starved her that said a lot. With her new strength she could easily snap his neck with her thumb and pointer-finger. Furthermore, something about the way he held himself told the Shieldmaiden that he wasn't the sort that do her harm- well, at lest not in the lethal sense.

This belief was reinforced when the boy paused a moment to merely gaze at her, and Kori thought she saw something akin to admiration cross his face as he examine her own, though she couldn't be sure. What he saw there, she at first had no idea- though in the next nano-second she realized with a jolt that look on the young human's face was similar to the one Razor had worn during that little episode back in the cell.

Similar… and at the same time it couldn't have been more different.

The look on the earthen boy was gentler than the one the Warmaster had worn…kinder and… well Kori didn't feel threatened to have him look at her, not at all like back on the Gordanian's ship. Instead she felt a brief instant of almost ridiculous cheerfulness to see that he clearly thought her fascinating. This cheerfulness was then joined by a foreign rush of warmth, when his smile turned into a full-on grin. She didn't think she had ever seen one so zestful- it was all but crackling with youthful energy.

_'He's probably never seen a Tamaranean before,'_ she tried to rationalize, puzzled by both of their reactions to each other. _'And I haven't been around anyone my own age in such a long time…'_

Still, Kori had to fight the urge to shack her head when the imp decided to add to this bizarreness, and started talking rather than attacking.

A boy like this would never survive a slave raid on Tamaran- or so she thought.

_"_You know," the boy chilled teasingly in the tone that grown-ups used on small children, "The locals don't appreciated it when someone destroys their town- and nether do we."

Koriand'r bit back a moan of frustration. She was so, so tired of not having the slightest clue as to what was being said around her. As soon as she found a way out of these cuffs, she would have to deal with that…

Also after she had dealt with the suddenly combat ready imp. Her still growing eyes widen as the boy's hand flew up from his belt to fling a handful of projectiles her. On sheer impulse she raised her cuffed arms to block the weapons, thinking that like the first one, they would merely bounce off.

She was proven wrong when the devices exploded on impact, engulfing her in a suffocating cloud of smoke. As she sprung backwards, throat tightening and eyes now stinging, the Shieldmaiden almost didn't see the red and yellow blur that was coming her way. Almost.

Piercing the air with a high pitched battle cry, Koriand'r leaped into the air and performed a 360 degrees swing kick perfectly timed with the blur's speed for the blow to make contact. A grunt of pain was her prize, as the blur-which she now saw to be an older redheaded boy_-_ skidded across the ground into the raven haired imp who then let out a yelp of his own.

She didn't relish in the sounds. But she hadn't the time to reflect, because an enraged roar compiled her to turn and see two more boys that were rushing forward.

But that was all they had in common, other than that these last boys were as different as night and day.

One was light skinned, the other was dark.

One was leaping at her in single bounds, while the other was running in such a way that it brought to mind a high tide.

One's gray eyes were filled with a cool determination…and the other's blue eyes could barley contain the rage that boiled within him.

Koriand'r swallowed hard, and let a soft growl emanate from behind her teeth, wanting to cover up the sudden nerves that were building up in her stomach. It was clear that these boys weren't going to let her leave without a fight- what she failed to understand was why they wanted one… unless they were the town's militia perhaps?

If that was the case then it was suddenly much more understandable. She_had_ been- for all intents and purposes- destroying the town. Still, if she didn't get out of there soon, the Hunters would find her, and it wouldn't do these people any favors to lead those murderers to this all but defenseless place.

She couldn't permit these boys to capture her, or else they all were going to die.

She had to get out of there. 

_**Y+J**_

Robin almost felt sorry for the girl when she made the mistake of blocking his disks with her cuff-things. (Seriously, what kind of weapon was that? It required the use of both her hands.) This sorry almost grew into guilt at her stunned cried when the smoke surrounded her, and reach its peak when the little alien began to cough.

And on top of that, Kid Flash wasn't helping.

_"Err, Rob?"_ The speedster spoke uncertainly over the comlink in their ears_. __"You sure we have the right alien? Angel-face here doesn't look like much of a threat to me."_

_"Do you see another alien around here that matches her description K.F.?" _Robin snapped back irritably, as he fought the urge to glare down the street where the other boy was waiting for his signal to attack.

Despite his sharp words he nevertheless felt uneasiness in his stomach as the girl still refused to engage him, springing away to recover from the smoke.

What was wrong with him? He wasn't supposed to feel sorry for criminals! That had been one of the first things that Batman had drilled into him in the weeks before the Boy Wonder had made his début on Gotham's streets. And for the most part he didn't, excepted for in extreme circumstances. Or so he told himself… hey-what the Bat didn't know wouldn't kill him (Robin that was).

So why was he feeling guilty now?

_'Maybe because she a cute girl who's the same size as me for a change?"_ he tried to rationalize, puzzled by both of their reactions to each other._ '__I can't deny that I like that. Bleh-what a cliché, Bats would have my head...' _

Aqualad was now specking from his position with Superboy.

_"Kid Flash," _the older boy said firmly,_ "Keep in mind that this girl is a threat to the town, it is our duty to take her into custody-"_

_"And maybe then the League will give us some respect!"_ Superboy grounded out bitterly.

_"__Our first concern is the citizens, Superboy," _Aqualad retorted sharply._"Kid Flash, go."_

_"Oh all right!" _Kid snapped, and immediately the redhead began to run, charging down the street grumbling, _"I don't believe this-here I thought being a Superhero would get me dates with hot girls, and what do I get? I get to beat them up-" _

_"Can__it K.F! You've got to focus!" _Robin barked feeling for some reason strangely annoyed at his best friend's commentary.

_"Alright, alright! Keep your tights on Rob."_

…It was at times like these that Robin could seriously wonder why the motor-mouth speedster was his best pal. Oh sure, they had been through thick and thin together, through the trials of being both junior crime fighters and adolescents. And sure Kid was as loyal as a foot soldier… but the boy simply didn't have a filter between his brain and his mouth.

Of course, thirty seconds later Robin would regret his moody thoughts when the alien somehow manged to give the speedster a sucker kick to the gut that sent K.F. fly… straight into him.

"Still don't think _Angel-face_ is a threat Kid?" Robin asked through his teeth as he struggled for the second time that day to get out from under someone bigger that him- he hated that.

Kid huffed irritably as he picked himself up. "Okay, okay- you were right, I was wrong. Big surprise. Happy now?"

As he reached down to pull the smaller boy up as well, Kid Flash let out a long suffering sigh as he looked over at the alien girl, who was currently fighting both Aqualad and Superboy…and holding her own against the two.

"Why do the gorgeous ones have to be bad guys?" he muttered under his breath as he rushed to get back in the fray.

"Especially the redheads," Robin muttered as well, thinking of Poison Ivy.

Push all thoughts of girls out of his mind; Robin filled the spaces between his fingers with more disks as he hurried after his team.

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><p><em><strong>Reviews make me happy so if you want more tell me what you thought and I'll update sooner!<strong>_

_**Weee! So what do you think of Starfire and Robin relationship so far? I took inspiration from Romeo and Juliet as well as Peter Pan and Wendy from that 2003 movie. I think that both of those couples start out with a mostly innocence-and yet not so- attraction that comes with first love. Come on girls; remember when you first fell for a boy? And you would feel insanely happy when he was near? On a less girly note how was the fight so far? The main battle comes next chapter- and how was WALLY, I swear I can not read one of his lines without grinning. Or Robin's for that matter. I personally like how he is already somewhat protective of Star…and worried about what Batman would think of him. **_


	11. Chapter 11

**DianaLaura_ &PrincessNightstar&_ S.Y.G-14: Thanks for saying Wally was funny, I hope you laugh at him again in this chapter.**

_** Night owl's Shadow: Oh its okay, just do a good job and it will be worth the wait **_

**Amyanime4: Now that the truth, poor Wally and Batman have no luck with girls (Or BM would have gotten with Wonder Women by now:) **

**S.Y.G-14: Yep, it's the beginnings of love for those two, it was my take on love at first sight, where there is this deep connection. **

** KaliAnn: smitten you say? Wheee! That was what I was going for! Thank You!**

**I own zip zero nada nothing**

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><p><em>Chapter 11<em>

_Tamaran_

_Royal Arena_

_One year ago… _

_Every year there was a Tournament held at the Royal Palace; marking the only occasion when commoners were permitted to enter into the majestic Halls of the High King and his family._

_ Most of them were simple farmers and craftsmen, men and women who lived their lives in humble-yet comfortable and sturdy- homes that were made of crude stone, which were then lumped into villages and towns that surrounded the local Lord or Lady's castle. _

_So needless to say, once a year the palace was filled with awed gasps as the people of Tamaran-dressed in their brightly colored robes like a flock of birds- gazed around like wide-eyed children as they took in the rich tapestries that hung from the arched ceiling, the exquisite paintings -all done by hand- that depicted Tamaran in times of war and the occasional times of rare peace that covered the walls, and the armor of long ago Warriors-such as Gorind'r, Radtor, Talun'a and Mari- that were on display for all to see. So it was with slow hesitant steps did the people pass between the proud columns on their way to the Arena._

_Located in the center of the Palace under an open sky, the Arena was circular in design and capable of seating over ten thousand souls. It was the pride and joy of the Royal Household. For it was here they displayed their strength for their subjects to see. For the only contestants in this Tournament were youngsters of Royal Blood, from ages twelve to sixteen. Princesslings and Princelings of Rival Houses, joined by blood, and in some cases love, but torn by envy- would compete against one another in trials of speed, skills, smarts and strength._

_Princess Koriand'r was twelve years old -this was the first Tournament she would ever take part in (It would also be the last, but she had no way of knowing that). Beforehand, when she had been waiting in contestant's grove just outside the Arena, she had been wrecked with nerves. As one of the Daughters of the High King, the expectations of her performance would be exceptionally high… especially since her sister Komand'r had dominated her age group ever since she started competing. _

_What if she couldn't live up to that?_

_Seeing her distress, some of Kori's cousins tried to reassure her._

_"You'll do fine, cousin," soothed the girl's favorite relation, a lovely Shieldmaiden called Lay'a. A motherly, witty girl; she was a Minor Princess- the daughter and heir of a Minor Prince who was a grandson of Koriand'r's Great Grandfather- and her inheritance would be a minor province. With gentle waist-length curls, luminous eyes and a smile that outshined the stars, Lay'a would have no trouble finding a husband when the time came (for it was universally agreed that she and Koriand'r were the most beautiful girls of their generation). Next to her brother- who was up in the stands with their parents- Lay'a was her closest friend. _

_"The people have enough birth-wit to know that you are not the younger incarnation of Koma and not to expected the same thing from you," Lay'a continued as she draped a winsome arm around Kori's thin shoulders. Then shuddering, she added, "And I'm rather glad for that, seeing Komand'r has never broken her habit of sending her opponents to the Healer's Wing." _

_Laughing, two more cousins came over, twin boys, four years older than Kori and two older than Lay'a._

_ "Now that couldn't be more true had X'hal had spoken it," one called out jovially. "I for one, have little hope of lasting more than five minuets against her in sparing."_

_"I just plan to run away," his brother said flatly._

_Lay'a's eyes narrowed disapprovingly, "You better be jesting here, Nictor, the people wouldn't be impressed with a show of cowardliness," she scowled._

_Nictor raised his hands in a pacifing motion, "I am, I am, I promise you! I going to give it my all, aren't I Hacto'r?" _

_Clasping his brother on the arm, Hacto'r grinned, "We both are," he confirmed. "Not just for ourselves but for Father… to repay him for claiming us." _

_The boys were not their father Prince Teand'r's sons by blood; rather they were children of the women whom he had loved…who had married another. But when both parents were captured in a raid several years back, the man had felt duty-bounded to take the grief stricken youths into his Household, out of love for their mother and sympathy for their woes, which he himself had endured as a child._

_ But blood sons or not, the bond of filial loyalty from the boys to Teand'r could not be matched. They owed him everything, for he had helped them put their world back together when evil had shattered it. _

_Now Lay'a smiled once more. "That's what I want to hear," she said happily. Now turning back to Kori, her tone became softer._

_ "Just do your best Sweet One and everything will work out," she said encouragingly, before drawing her little cousin closer and hugging her tightly._

_Just then, the trumpets began to sound off, signaling that the Tournament had begun. _

_All contestants now standing, they moved as one into the Arena, where they were separated by age. _

_That was the last time she ever saw her favorite cousins. _

_Though she would one day learn the fate of two of them… when she saw the armor of Nictor and Hacto'r hanging as trophies besides their father's in Lord Razor's chamber; their slain blood having dried on the cold metal...at least they had died together._

_But of course she didn't know that then… none of them did._

_The Tournament itself when rather well, for it was quickly proven that Kori's insecurities were unfounded. Over the remaining course of the day, Kori performed acrobatics in the air, shot targets with her starbolts, and out-maneuvered her opponents in the war games._

_But her true moment to shine came during the hand-to-hand sparing, where she displayed an almost supernatural ability to predict her foes movements as they were making them. She wouldn't have been able to fully explain it had she been asked to (and later she would be asked more times than she could count)._

_ Kori had always been perceptive, able to read the_ _subtle body language of others, and when one mixed that with warrior_ _instincts and adrenaline-it provided handsome results. Only Komand'r had been able to do the same, and this gift permitted them to fight many at once. _

_She was as flexible as water, as unyielding as stone, relentless as fire… as star-fire. None could lay a hit on her…and for the fist time in her life…she was invincible… _

_**Y+J**_

_ Happy Harbor, Road Island_

_The Town_

_'And I still am!'_ Kori thought triumphantly as she ducked a blow the blue-eyed boy had aimed at her head. Once she was in the clear, she flipped backwards, so that her steel encrusted toes stuck the Angry-One in the chin, therefore dazing him for a moment.

With the first boy temporarily stunned, she turned her attention to the gray-eyed one, and blocked the water mace that the Calm-One had manifested, and was currently swinging at her legs. Without pausing she rolled to the left and pop up to deliver a round kick to the Calm-One's back, sending him into the Angry-One.

But rather than go flying, the Angry-One seemed to have braced himself, and therefore stood his ground, caught his friend, and mange to stay standing when the other boy collided with him; his feet skidding only a few inches across the ground.

_'… If he could only control his anger, he would have the potential to become a great fighter,' _Koriand'r thought with reluctant respect and a great deal of weariness._ 'A quick temper makes for a foolish warrior,' _went a Tamaranen proverb.

"And a foolish warrior will soon be a dead warrior," Koriand'r finished in a soft whisper. That was the first lesson that parents taught their children when they began training, because that was the single most important thing in warfare, besides looking after one's brothers and sisters in arms.

Clearly this Angry-One hadn't been in training for very long; because it didn't appeared that anyone had so much as _thought_ of giving him this crucial advise for survival.

Kori wish she could tell him, but for that to happen they would have to stop fighting -that clearly wasn't going to come to pass. And even if it did, she still couldn't speak the langue… she had to do something about that...

But before she could muse too deeply on that subject, she was forcibly knocked to the side when a familiar red and yellow blur slammed into her.

Falling into a shaky shoulder rolled, the warrior girl found herself on her hands and knees, looking up at the red-haired boy as he grinned down at her.

"Hey Angel-Face," he beamed, "You got guts, taking on Superboy, I'll give you that. You know it's too bad you'll totally crazy, because you're seriously cute-"

That was as far as he got, because here Kori pulled her cuffed arms close to her chest, and lashed out, sweeping Red-Haired's legs out from under him.

But before she could knock him out cold, she saw the raven-haired boy coming at her out of the corner of her eye-more of those disks in hand.

_'O-ho no,' T_he Shieldmaiden thought rather flatly as she saw this.'__You are not hitting me with those again, Little Imp.'__

Now wise to some of the boy's tricks, Kori dodged, twisted, and bent over backwards to avoid being struck. But while she was busy doing this, the Angry-One had finished recovering, and with a furious roar (Kori dearly hope this boy never when on a stealth mission) he flung himself forward, with such unimaginable speed that all Kori could do was raise her arms and brace herself as his fist collided with her cuffs with an resounding clang.

Being of smaller built that the Angry-One; the Shieldmaiden was thrown high into the air, spinning out of control. When she finally mange to steady herself, the girl shook her head to clear it, and flexed her fingers_…__flexed her FINGERS?! _

Her eyes widening, Koriand'r looked down and was unable to suppressed a girlish squeal of delight to see that while her wrists were still bound together, the Angry-One had broken the top part of the cuffs off, leavening her hands free to use her starbolts.

Kori was unable to suppress a wild grin as the beautiful green energy filled her hand, and as her opponents stunned gasps reached her ears like sweet music another Tamaranen proverb came to mind-'_The only thing that is more of a danger that a stranger is a idiot.'_

_'Thank you, Angry Idiot,'_ the girl thought cheerfully.

_**Y+J**_

_"_Oh nice_going_ Supes," Kid groaned as they scattered to avoid the volley of green energy-bolts that the alien clearly took joy in making.

"Shut up!" Superboy snarled back.

"Both of you, _ENOUGH!"_ Aqualad barked. "Robin, do you have any suggestions?"

The Boy Wonder snorted from his hiding spot-which was ducking behind a turned over car.

"Sure I do -don't get hit," the boy trolled as he activated his wrist computer. "According to my reading they wouldn't cause any lethal damage, but they'll still sting like nobody's business if she zaps you. So I say that Kid and Superboy should draw her fire while–"

But here the clone interrupted him.

"I hear something," the Kryptonian muttered under his breath, his head shooting up. If he had been a dog, Robin would have been willing to bet that his ears would have been straight up in the air.

"Like what, Superboy?" Aqualad asked immediately. "What do you hear? More back-up?"

"I-I don't know, I've never heard anything like this before."

"Well could you describe it, Supes?" Robin called out from across the street. "We need to know what were up against."

Giving a nod of consent, Superboy closed his eyes and tired to concentrate.

"It…metal…yah-definitely metal, a-and large…and its running-no- they're running-"

K.F gulped a little at that.

_"Their?" _he asked nervously.

Superboy growled at the speedster for disrupting him.

"Yes they're, as in _more-than__-__one_, as in_plural_," The clone snarled out from behind his teeth.

Kid had the good sense to throw up his hand in a pacify gesture.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, please don't kill me and continue?" he said hastily.

Huffing, Superboy did just that.

"Okay…they're running… and…and-"

Suddenly, the Boy of Steel's head shot up-his eyes wide- and whipped around to face the opposite duration.

"And they're _here!_"

Just as these rather chilling words left the Kryptonian's mouth, a bone rattling howl rip across the open air.

_**Y+J**_

X'hal bones what was the Angry One doing? For the life of her, Koriand'r could not tell, and it was unnerving.

Things had been going so well- for once the odds had flipped in her favor; she had plan to bombard them with starbolts for a few more minutes before making her getaway. From what she observed in battle, none of the boys possessed the power of flight, so they wouldn't be able to follow her when she took off.

That had been the plan.

But as she already stated, things rarely-if ever-when according to plan.

Koriand'r was a Shieldmaiden of the finest degree and training. She was powerful enough to crush boulders, or take on army with her hand bound in front of her.

And though she had only seen a few battles, and had never shed blood, she had learned what it truly meant to be a warrior.

Many people made the mistake of believing a warrior was any fool who could wield a weapon. But that was a lie.

Wielding a weapon makes one a fighter, possibly a great fighter- but still only that.

Warriors were of another breed, a separate mindset; for they devoted themselves to protecting a people and ideals-mind, body, and soul; and sometimes at the cost of all three.

Warriors were not always the swiftest or strongest of beings. That could be developed during training.

Oh yes…What showed the mark of a warrior, was that they were the ones who were willing, if not always gladly, chosen to stand between the enemy and all they loved or held sacred.

That was why a terror unlike anything she had ever felt before raced down her spine when she heard the Hunter's howl.

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><p><em><strong>Reviews make me happy so if you want more tell me what you thought and I'll update sooner!<strong>_

_**I'm rather proud of this chapter-the last part that is- because I have family that served in the army. What did you think, because that is my personally belief. Not to mention it describes Batman so well it's almost scary. Him and Wonder Women and Superman, because of all the heroes only they know what its like to be warriors. On a happier note I trust you see that I have lay the ground work for not only Robins relationship with Star, but Superboy's as well, because as a alien of near equal strength, She can train him to control his anger and made a warrior out of him. And in return she will gain a brother. **_


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